Time After Time
by realityescaper10
Summary: Arnold is getting ready for his wedding day, but someone pops back into his life after years of being missing in action and shakes everything up.
1. Memories

**Chapter 1: Memories**

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****"Man, I still can't believe you are getting married in two weeks" Gerald said as he stood in front of a mirror fixing his tie.

"I know, Gerald, I'm so happy!" Arnold shouted back hoping that Gerald could hear him from the dressing room.

"I still think you're crazy, you know."

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked emerging from the dressing room still buttoning his sleeves.

"Come on, man. You're only 23 years old, fresh out of college. Don't you think you should take a breather, or at least get a bit more financially stable before getting hitched?"

"Why, Gerald? I just got an architect job so it's not like I'm completely screwed. Besides, we're gonna live at the boarding house until we can afford a house of our own."

"Ooh, sounds fun living with grandma and grandpa", Gerald said with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's not going to be like that, Gerald", Arnold said putting out his suit jacket. "The boarding house isn't like most houses people grow up in. It's like an apartment building. We'd have our own room and we'd mind our own business. A lot of couples live at the boarding house before landing on their feet."

"Like who? Suzie and Oscar? I really don't think you want to end up like them, Arnold."

"Ha-ha, real funny, Gerald. But come on, me and Lila have been together since we were 18. I couldn't put marriage off any longer."

"Believe me, if she's been with you for this long I don't think a couple more years would have hurt."

"Gerald, can you please just let me be excited?"

"Okay , okay. Well let me tell you one thing _I'm_ excited for."

"What?" Arnold asked having a hard time putting on his tie the right way.

"The bachelor party! And as your best man, I can assume I'm in charge of planning it, right?" Gerald said seeing Arnold struggling and going up to him to help fix it.

"No, Gerald. Lila doesn't want me to have one of those", Arnold protested.

"Oh brother, you are one whipped puppy", Gerald sighed.

"It's not like that, Gerald. She doesn't like the whole stripper thing, and can you blame her? Would Phoebe like the idea of you ogling other women?"

Gerald finished up around tie and make a _whoosh_ sound while snapping his wrist in a whipping motion.

Arnold sighed, "Gerald, stop. Besides, she's already mad at me that I waited so long to get a tuxedo for the wedding. I don't wanna ignite the fire anymore", Arnold explained.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm", Gerald said as he shook his head in disapproval.

"Ugh, fine", Arnold finally gave in. "We can have the party, but no strippers, okay?"

A small devilish grin grew across Gerald's face. "Don't worry, buddy, I promise", Gerald said putting two crossed fingers behind his back. "So where is the old ball and chain anyway today?" Gerald asked directing away from the original conversation.

"She's picking Olga up from the airport, then their going shopping for all the last second wedding junk. Olga's her maid of honor."

"Olga? As in Olga Pataki?" Gerald asked in slight confusion.

"Yeah, Olga was her _'big sis' _when we were younger and they just got really close", Arnold explained.

"Oh. Speaking the Patakis, I wonder what ever happened to Helga."

"Wow, I haven't thought about her in years. I feel like after graduation she just kind of fell off the planet. I tried for a while to keep in contact with her, but it was hopeless. I couldn't find her anywhere. I was actually quite worried about her."

"Yeah, man. I don't even think she's spoken to Phoebe in years either. Oh well, why are we even wasting our time talking about Helga anyway. You should be thinking about your beautiful fiance and your wedding", Gerald said turning Arnold around to face the mirror. "So is this the one you're going with? Because I think it's pretty fly."

Arnold stared at his reflection and imagined himself standing next to Lila on his wedding day. _His wedding day_. He still couldn't believe it. He was getting married to the girl he'd be enamored with since he was nine years old. It was a dream come true. He examined every inch of his body in the black tuxedo and smiled.

"This is the one, Gerald."

"Great. Now how about me? Does this scream _'best man'_ to you?" Gerald asked as he unbuttoned the jacket and opened it slightly, slowly rotating giving Arnold the full view of his outfit.

"You're lookin' good, Gerald." Arnold laughed as he and Gerald did their handshake they'd been doing with one another since grade school.

"Alright, bubba, can we can outta here now?" Gerald asked.

"Yea, let's go."

As the two friends exited the story they separated, each going to their designated car. Arnold hopped into his used, and somewhat broke down looking Nissan. He turned on the radio and was surprised to hear the song, _"Time After Time", _by Cyndi Lauper. This was his and Lila's song. It had been playing the first time they kissed. It was at an 80s dance in the middle of their senior year.

Lila had dressed as an 80s exercise fanatic. She wore her hair up, and had a bright green headband stretched across her forehead. It matched her green leotard and leg warmers. She also had on neon pink leggings. He remembered thinking she looked like a watermelon and quietly laughed to himself. Arnold dressed as a member of the band, A Flock of Seagulls. It took him forever to do his hair it that funky fashion, but he wanted to look perfect. He wanted to impress Lila. She'd finally agreed to go about with him and didn't want to blow it, but once he pulled her in closer during that slow dance and kissed her he knew he hadn't. She was all his, and now with the wedding she'd be his forever.

Despite all the thoughts of Lila, somehow the conversation he and Gerald had about Helga crept into his mind. _What could have happened to her?_ The last time he spoke to her was right after graduation.

_After the ceremony, the teens all gathered out front to take pictures, posing with their friends who they'd seldom see again. Helga hadn't wanted anything to do with that. The second after they threw their caps into the air and walked off that stage, Helga had stormed out of the crowd ripping off her blue graduation gown in the process. Arnold noticed and went after her. _

_"Helga, where are you going off to so soon?" Arnold asked with concern as he followed her into the school parking lot. _

_"None of your beeswax, football head!" She scowled without even stopping, or turning to look at him. _

_"Don't you wanna celebrate for a while with your family and friends?"_

_"What friends? The only friend I have is Phoebe and she's too busy with tall-hair boy. And for your information, my family didn't come."_

_"Oh, I'm sorry about that Helga. But look, you're more than welcome to hang out with me and Lila and our families."_

_"Yeah, like I'd really wanna hang out with you, your lame family, and your perfect little girlfriend. Dream on."_

_Arnold ignored her insults as he always did. "It's better than being alone. I'm just trying to help out a friend." _

_"First of all, we're not friends, Arnoldo! Just because we talk in class occasionally does not make us friends. Secondly, I don't need you to look out for me. I can take care of myself, just like I always have", Helga finally said getting into her car and speeding away forever. _

__Arnold pulled up in front of the boarding house and saw Lila's car parked out front. _She must be home,_ Arnold thought as he hopelessly tried to shake the thoughts of Helga from his mind before entering the boarding house.

* * *

_**So there's the first chapter. By the way if you hadn't known the chunk that's entirely in italics is a flashback, just saying. Sorry if the title of the chapter sucks, i couldn't think of anything at all. It gets better I promise, keep reading :)**_


	2. Shake it Off

**Chapter 2:** **Shake it Off**

****_**Jeez, my chapter titles suck for this story. I hope you like this chapter anyway! :) (Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold)**_

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Arnold walked up to the front stoop of the boarding house and opened the door. He immediately heard a littler of varying howls followed by a bundle of animals scrambling past his feet.

"Arnold, is that you?", called a voice from the next room.

"Yea, it's me", he replied taking off his jacket and hanging on the coat rack.

Lila came running out of the living room and into the hallway. On her tip toes, she threw her arms around her fiance's neck in excitement. "So, did you get the tux?"

"Yup. I ordered it today and it should be in before the wedding. Don't worry", Arnold replied holding Lila's chin and tilting her head down so he could kiss her on the forehead. "So how was your day?"

"Oh, Arnold, I had an ever so wonderful day!" Lila exclaimed as she practically twirled around the hallway like a school girl. "Olga and I got so much done. We met with the photographer, selected the flowers, and we went to the jeweler to pick out the earrings and the necklace I'm gonna wear at the wedding! Arnold, their beautiful and I can't wait to show you."

"Isn't it against the rules of marriage to see what your wearing before the wedding day?" Arnold teased.

"No, that's just the gown, silly", Lila giggled. "I just wish you could have gone with us. I don't like making decisions without you."

"I'm sorry, Lila. I wanted to be there, but I had to get the tux thing done like you said. It's kinda important, ya know? Besides we did plenty together", Arnold said holding Lila's delicate hands. "We picked out the band, the food, the venue, and all the big stuff."

"I know, I know", Lila said leaning in, brushing her lips against his. "Well at least let me show you what I bought today, okay?" Lila released Arnold's hands and skipped up the staircase to their room. They lived in Arnold's childhood room. When Lila moved in he redecorated everything. He painted over the blue walls and made it a simple off-white. He also replaced the squiggly orange and yellow carpet with wood flooring. He had to admit, without the vibrant colors, the room lost a bit of it's flare, but it still had all the cool technological gadgets in tact and the couch that came out of the wall at the push of a button.

He also got rid of his twin bed and replaced it with a queen sized one that he and Lila shared, even though they weren't exactly putting it to use. Lila wanted to wait until they were married to consummate their relationship. It hadn't been for a religious reason, she just wanted the first person she slept with to be the one she would spend the rest of her life with. Although Arnold wasn't too thrilled about this arrangement, he knew it was important to her and earnestly respected that. So he grit his teeth and went with the flow. Besides, he knew that it would make their wedding night that much more special.

Arnold walked into the living room to wait for Lila to come back down when he noticed Olga sitting on the couch. He hadn't know she was over and was startled by her presence.

"Oh, Olga!" Arnold jumped. "I forgot you'd be over. How are you? How was your latest escapade?"

"Oh, Arnold, you know I don't do those anymore. I'm married and have a little girl now. My husband and I live in Boston, remember?"

"Oh yeah, that's right." Arnold had gotten used to Olga's visits always consisting of a story from her most recent trip to Africa or Alaska that he'd forgotten. He was supposed to go to her wedding a few years earlier with Lila, but got caught up with school and an internship he had gotten. Part of him regretting not going now. Maybe, just maybe, Helga would have been there. And just like that Helga was back on his mind. He had to find out what had happened to her.

"Olga, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, anything."

"What's Helga been up to lately?" Arnold shyly asked taking a seat on the sofa next to Olga.

Olga sighed. "In all honesty, I have no idea. I haven't seen or heard from her in five years. Probably even before her graduation from high school", Olga said as he head began to slump down and her voice became solemn. "You see, I had been on one of my, as you call, _'escapades'_ that day. I felt terrible about missing my baby sister's graduation, but I had to. I figured I'd make it up to her when I got back, but then when I returned home she wasn't there. I asked Mommy and Daddy and they just told me she moved out and then they never talked about it again. I wish I knew where my little sis was. I worry so much, but she's a tough girl and I know she's okay. I just wish I could see her again."

Arnold frowned and shook his head at Olga's sad story. "Me, too."

Despite the gloomy atmosphere of the room, Lila reappeared full on energy and joy. She jumped onto the couch next to Arnold and opened the little green box she held in her hands, revealing the matching set of shiny, silver earrings and necklace she had bought earlier that day.

"See, Arnold. Aren't they beautiful?"

Arnold forced a smile onto his football shaped face and said, "Yeah, Lila. They're great. You're going to make a beautiful bride. Lila was too preoccupied with excitement to notice or recognize the hurt in Arnold's eyes. He hadn't thought about Helga in years, but now the sound of her name sent him into a spiral of emotions. Most of them include a feeling of worry, but the also felt a sense of guilt and regret. Maybe if he had paid more attention to Helga he could have helped her. Instead he was too focused on his own life and his own good fortune. He thought about what Olga said, though. Everyone knew Helga was tough as nails. He knew she was okay because she would do literally anything to survive. He assured himself that she was fine and pushed her from his thoughts. He had a wedding to plan and a beautiful wife-to-be to please. He didn't have time to worry about this right now.


	3. Surprise!

**Chapter 3:** **Surprise!**

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"Gerald, where are we going?"

It was now one week before the wedding. Lila was having her bachelorette party tonight, which gave Gerald the perfect opportunity to throw Arnold bachelor party. Gerald surprised him at his house just minutes before. He showed up at the boarding house with the gang, who had all flown in for Arnold's big day, and ambushed him. As soon as Arnold answered his front door they attacked. Sid and Eugene went for his legs, Stinky and Curly went for his arms, Harold snuck around the back and wrapped his arms around his torso, and Gerald tied a blindfold around his eyes. Together they forced Arnold into the passenger seat of Gerald's new Mazda that his parents bought him for his college graduation. They buckled him in, locked the doors and sped off leaving Arnold no time to escape.

"Now if we told you it would ruin the point of the blindfold and spoil the whole surprise", Gerald snickered.

"I don't know if I like this…"

"Oh, would you stop being such a fruit cup?" Harold chimed in.

"Yeah, I reckon you're too tense", Stinky added.

"They're right Arnold, you need to chill out. You're in good hands", Gerald ensured.

"Well, can you at least tell me how much longer it'll be until we get there. I can't stand this blindfold anymore", Arnold demanded.

"We're just driving a few towns over. Relax. Who knows, you might end up enjoying yourself", said Gerald.

Eventually the car came to a full stop. Arnold heard car doors opening and shutting and soon enough the guys guided him out of the vehicle. Immediately in the air he smelt a pungent stench of alcohol and sweat mixed together. Although he was still blindfolded, he had a good idea where he was.

"Why do I have a feeling this won't be pleasant?" Arnold inquired. "Can I take this off now", he said pointing to his blindfold.

"Oh, don't worry, Arnold, I'll get it for you", Eugene insisted. He then unknotted the blind fold and let it fall to the floor revealing Arnold's surprise.

"A strip club? Why am I not surprised, _Gerald_?" Arnold agitatedly asked turning his head toward his best friend.

"No, no, it's totally different! This is a _Gentleman's Club_", Gerald said pointing to the sign above the door. Gerald laughed and the rest of the gang joined in.

"This isn't funny guys. Lila is going to kill me."

"Oh, please, she _is not_. Even if she does find out she'll understand and forgive you. She's a sweetheart. Besides it's a rite of passage, my friend", Gerald said attempting to convince Arnold while sliding his arm around his shoulders.

"But it's not just Lila! Maybe _I_ didn't want to come here…" Arnold admitted.

The boys all gaped in shock.

"What?! Are you crazy, Arnold?"

"No, bubba, I think that's you", Gerald said as he peered and pointed to Curly.

"Hey!", shouted a highly offended Curly Gammelthorpe. They all shared a laugh at his expense until Gerald brought back a serious tone.

"Seriously, though, Arnold, why are you so against this?"

"If I tell you, do you all promise not to laugh?" The group nodded.

Arnold took a deep breath. "Me and Lila… well we haven't actually, you know, _done_ anything. She wanted to wait until we got married. I just…I always thought the first real life exposed woman I'd see would be Lila. That's stupid, isn't it…" Arnold shamefully confessed. His friends fell silent for a moment.

"Boy howdy, Arnold, we didn't know you felt so strongly about this. We're sorry. We can go if you want", Sid offered motioning back to the car.

Arnold grabbed Sid's arm. "No, Sid. You guys went to all this trouble and I can't just blow you off. Come on, let's just go", Arnold said waving the boys into the building.

"You sure, man?" Gerald asked placing a hand on Arnold's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's okay", Arnold half-heartedly replied.

"You're a bold kid, Arnold", Gerald said before the boys made their way toward to building. They opened to door to be immediately greeted by a large chested woman with curly brown hair. She wasn't like the other women Arnold suspected to see in the club. She was wearing a semi-professional attire, only the skirt was a bit too short and the blouse was cut a bit too low. She must have been the host, Arnold thought as the group proceeded to sit down at the front table Gerald had called in and reserved. Arnold had to admit, for a strip joint, it wasn't as sketchy as he thought it would be. In fact they seemed to be running a pretty respectable business, or at least as respectable as they could be with women taking of their clothes.

As soon as they sat down the lights went dim as they announced the next "dancer" to the audience. The announcer called her "Hell Girl." The woman entered from stage left and stood so that her back was facing the crowd. Although the stage was dark, Arnold could still make out some of the woman's features. He could see that she was blonde, and her hair was up in a small bun. She also was wearing a short, black, transparent cover up. Underneath you could see her matching red bra and panties. Arnold hated to admit it, he found the girl to be very sexy and he was quiet intrigued by her.

Suddenly the lights flashed on, spotlighting the dancer, and sensual music blasted through the speakers. The girl began by ripping her hair out of the bun, releasing her long, blonde locks from their confines. She began to seductively sway her hips as she slowly lowered the thin straps of her see-through dress. She eventually let the cover up slide down her curvaceous body, allowing it to fall to the floor revealing her red, laced undergarments. Arnold felt horrible, but he was really enjoying the show.

The dancer stepped over the fabric that lay around her ankles and finally turned to face the audience immediately catching Arnold's attention. With eyes wide he shot up almost instinctively from his chair and spoke a name out loud.

"_Helga?!_"


	4. I Have to Do Something

**Chapter 4: I Have to Do Something**

* * *

Helga saw a man rise up and heard her say her named aloud which made her take a closer look. She ducked down slightly, trying to dodge the blinding lights and finally recognized who was standing before her.

_"Arnold?!"_

Almost instinctively Arnold raced up to the front of the stage and grabbed her arm.

"Helga, what are you doing? I'm getting you off this stage", he said as he tried pulling Helga down to the floor.

"Arnold, I can't just leave, I'm working! So if you don't mind-"

"No!", Arnold interrupted, "I can't let you do this. You're better than this!" Arnold shouted.

"You know nothing about me, Arnold. Now let me go!" Helga scowled trying to break free from Arnold's clutches.

"But Helga-"

"Let the lady go!", called out an angry member of the audience. The large man got up from his seat and began slowly creeping toward Arnold as he cracked his knuckles one by one.

"Sir, calm down, I just want to talk to my friend", Arnold assured.

"Well if you don't back up you're gonna make new friends with my fists!" the man threatened, raising his curled, tightly gripped hand in the air when the manager finally stepped in.

"Hold up, everyone", the manager demanded as he got between the two men. "What's going on, Helga? Do you know this guy?"

"Yeah, kinda, I guess...", she replied.

"You do realize how unprofessional this is, don't you? You can't just mid-dance have your buddy walk up and chat with you", her manager scolded.

"Yes, I know. I promise I had no idea he was even going to be here. I haven't seen this guy in five years!" Helga argued trying to save her job.

"Fine. Just go talk to him. He clearly has something important to say and it doesn't look like he's gonna give up. I'll send the next girl up."

"Thank you, sir", Helga said jumping down from the stage. Arnold grabbed her cover-up and gave it to her to put on before continuing to guide Helga to the back of the room. Gerald and the gang at one point stood up asking Arnold if he needed them, but Arnold just waved them off.

"Helga, can you please explain to me why you're degrading yourself like this?" Arnold tried to ask as calmly as he could.

"Well then if it's so degrading, Arnold, why are you even here in the first place?" Helga snapped.

"It's just...it's my bachelor party. I told the guys I didn't want to come here, but they didn't listen. This isn't about me, though, it's about you. Is this where you've been hiding all these years?"

"What do you want me to tell you, Arnold? That my father kicked me out after graduation? That he didn't think I was worth spending the money on to send to college? That this was the only thing I could do just to give me a house to live in and put food in my refrigerator? Is that was you wanted to hear?" Helga shouted. As she spoke her eyes began to glisten with tears. Suddenly Arnold felt terrible. He shouldn't have badgered her the way he did. Now all he could do was watch as she cried. It was odd. Arnold had never seen Helga cry before. What was even stranger was that despite what Helga was wearing, she looked almost innocent. Like a little girl who just happened to lose her way. It was sad. Arnold did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her beautiful blonde hair.

"I'm so sorry, Helga. I didn't know. It's going to be okay. You don't need to do this anymore."

Helga pushed Arnold away from their embrace. "What do you mean? I need this job. You think just because you prance in here and comfort me a little that I'll see the error of my ways? Get real. Now I've got work to do. See you in the funny papers, Arnoldo", Helga said as she sharply turned her body away from Arnold when he grabbed her wrist once again.

"As long as I'm here I'm not going to let you go back on that stage, Helga", Arnold said sincerely.

"Well then you can just leave, and take your dopey friends with you!" Helga said fiercely breaking free of Arnold's grip. She then ran back stage. He thought of following her back there, but a large, slightly balding body guard stood arms folded against the door to protect the strippers. Arnold slump over in defeat and headed back to his friends who were waiting at their table.

"Let's go guys", Arnold insisted, not even waiting for their response. Instead he just walked to the main entrance and bolted out the double doors. The rest of the gang all looked at once another in confusion and went after him. By the time they had gotten outside Arnold was already waiting in the passenger seat of Gerald's car.

Gerald hopped into the drivers seat. "What just happened, Arnold?" he asked.

"Well if you hadn't noticed, that was Helga" Arnold sharply replied.

"Yes, we noticed. Especially since you said her name out loud. Man, Helga a stripper? Now I've seen everything."

"I know. This isn't the life for her. She was one of the smartest students at Hillwood High. There was so much she could have done with her life." Arnold didn't want to say it out loud, but also the thought of Helga taking off her clothes for other, random men made him sick to his stomach. He didn't quite know why, though.

"But it's the life she chose. There's nothing you can do about that, Arnold, even though I know you wish you could."

"She didn't choose this, Gerald. It was just her only option at the time."

"Uh-oh. I've seen that look before. You want to help her, don't you?", Gerald said, clearly disproving of Arnold's idea.

"I can't just let her do this to herself. What did you expect me to do?" Arnold said, defending himself.

"What I think you should do is focus on your wedding which I will remind you is only a week away. You don't have time to be playing with this fire, Arnold."

Arnold remained silent as Gerald pulled away from the club and began the drive back to Hillwood. Arnold gazed out of the window and as he watched the scenery go by he thought about everything. He replayed the vision of her on that stage over and over again in his mind. He knew that Gerald was right. He knew he had a lot going on right now and a fiance to attend to, but he couldn't just stand by and let this continue. Although he didn't quite know what, he knew he had to do something.


	5. Support

**Chapter 5: Support**

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Gerald dropped Arnold back off at the boarding house. Arnold slowly made his way inside and plopped down onto his bed. He lied down and put his hands under his head. He thought about everything that happened that night and ran through every possible solution in his mind. He wasn't quite sure how long he'd been lying there for, but at one point he heard a creaking sound coming from the hall. The bedroom door slowly cracked open and Lila walked through. She must have just been getting home from her bachelorette party. She stepped slowly and softly onto the wooden floor trying her hardest not to make a sound. She had on a silly pink plastic crown, and she was carrying her high heals in her hands. Lila turned toward the bed and jumped when she noticed Arnold still awake.

"A-Arnold? What on Earth are you still doing up? It's 2 o'clock in the morning."

"Oh, is it really that late? Guess I've been too caught up in thought to sleep. How was the party?"

"It was ever so fun, Arnold! We all gathered at Rhonda's house and they all gave me just oh so wonderful gifts. Then they took me out dancing", Lila cheered.

"That's great, honey. I'm glad you had a good time. So where are your presents?"

"I couldn't bring them all myself. Rhonda said she'd send someone over with them in a couple days, Wasn't that ever so nice of her?"

"Yea...it was."

Lila could hear the blandness in Arnold's voice. "Are you okay? You seem a bit off."

"If I told you would you promise not to be mad?"

Lila sat down on the edge of the bed and put her hand on his leg. "I promise, Arnold. You can tell me anything."

Arnold sat up and began to explain. "Well, Gerald threw me a surprise bachelor party."

"I don't understand, Arnold. That sounds ever so fun."

"Just listen, okay? He and the gang took me to this _'gentleman's'_ club."

"Oh, I see." Lila took her hand off of him and folded her hands neatly on her lap. She sighed and looked down. "Its okay, Arnold. You don't have to feel guilty about it. You told me the truth. It also wasn't your fault that they took you there."

"Well thanks, Lila, but that's not the only reason I'm upset", Arnold confessed.

"It's not?" Lila asked as a puzzled expression grew across her face.

"No. You see, I saw someone there. Someone I haven't seen in years. I saw Helga."

"Helga? Are you ever so certain?"

"Yeah. She works there...as a dancer."

"What? Gosh, this is just oh too shocking. Maybe I should tell Olga."

Arnold sprung up from his horizontal position and sat up in the bed. "No! Don't do that! At least not yet. I don't want to overwhelm her more than I already did tonight. Bringing Olga into the picture will only make her feel ambushed. I have to figure this out on my own."

"Whoa, Arnold. Slow down. Don't you think we should be focusing on the wedding right now, not some girl we haven't even seen since high school?"

"I know, but I can't just do nothing."

Lila let out another sympathetic sigh. "I know you can't. It's the way you are. It's one of the reasons I love you so much", she said gripping Arnold's hand. "Okay fine. Whatever you choose to do, I support it."

"Thanks, honey", Arnold said squeezing her palm and smiling at her.

"Well", Lila said getting up from the bed, "it's late. I should start getting ready for bed now, and you should too, Arnold. I know tomorrow's only a Sunday, but I still think you need a good night's rest." Lila bent over and placed a light kiss on Arnold's lip and left the room.

Soon enough Lila return in a little green nightgown with her hair let completely down. She crawled into bed and cuddled up next to Arnold, placing her head on his chest and slowly drifted off to sleep. Arnold kissed his forehead and stroked her hair, all the while devising a plan in his head. Now that he had Lila's full support he didn't feel as limited as he had before. It all quickly clicked in his mind and he allowed himself to go to sleep, especially considering he would have a very long day ahead of him tomorrow.

* * *

**This chapter was really short and boring, I know. Sorry. **


	6. Offers and Second Chances

**Chapter 6: Offers and Second Chances**

* * *

Arnold decided to show up at the club bright and early. He wasn't sure what time Helga's shift was, or even when exactly the place opened up, but he wanted to catch her before she went in to avoid the wrath of her boss, body guard, or another crazed fan of hers. Because sitting in his car wasn't exactly the most entertaining thing to do, he would alternate it with walking around the perimeter. He could only have imagined what people who walked by were thinking of him. People had came and went noticing him both times. He felt almost like a stalker, but once he thought about it, he realized he kind of was.

Arnold was leaning on the side of his car playing with his keys. He's been waiting for hours and was debating packing it in and giving up. Maybe he could try another day after the wedding. Maybe that would have made things easier. _Who knows, maybe she didn't even have work today_, he thought, turning toward his car when he suddenly heard a loud screeching sound and a gust of wind. He look over his shoulder to see a bus that had just pulled up in front of the parking lot of the gentleman's club. Helga stepped out immediately noticing Arnold. She let out a sigh of annoyance and stomped through the parking lot, hoping to bulldoze through him, but Arnold leaped in front of her.

"Helga, can I talk to you?" he asked.

"No you cannot, football head", Helga said trying to maneuver around him without any such luck.

"Please", he begged. "You can't work here anymore."

This stopped Helga right in her tracks. She no longer tried to get through him, she wanted to confront him now. "Excuse me?" Who are you to tell me what to do with my life?" Helga scorned getting close in Arnold's face, poking him hard in the chest with her long, freshly polished finger.

"Because I know you, Helga. I know you don't want to do this. I know you had other plans for your life. You know, if this was something I thought you really wanted to do that you thoroughly enjoyed I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be trying to stop you. But I know this isn't you. You're the girl who always aspired to be a writer...a poet even. Not this", he thoughtfully tried to explain.

"That's right, hair boy, but you don;t always get what you want in life. I need this job. It's a good paycheck that I desperately need."

"I understand that, Helga. That's why I'm here."

"What are you talking about?" she scowled.

"I'm here to present you with a choice. I want to offer you a room at the boarding house."

"That's all fine and dandy, but how do you expect me to pay the rent without a job. You're not making any sense."

"Just hold on and listen" Arnold requested. "It's free of charge. That's the perks of being the owner's grandson."  
He smiled at her hoping she would smile back.

Instead she sneered at him. "I'm not going to just mooch of you and your family, laying around all day like a helpless sack. Where are you going with this, Arnoldo?"

"You wont be doing nothing. I called my boss this morning. I was just hired at an architect firm and I need a secretary. I was supposed to be holding interviews tomorrow, but I called up and told them I'd be canceling them because I've already found someone. You."

"But then if I have a job then why wouldn't I be paying rent?" Helga questioned. Her sour tone began to go down slightly and Arnold could tell that he was slowly winning her over.

"Because I want you to save up the money so you can use it to go back to school."

Helga was stunned. _Why was he going through so much trouble_ _for me? Why does he even care? _Her heart danced inside her chest knowing that after all these years he still cared about her. Although Helga had grown out of her obsession, she still had a deep rooted love for Arnold that she couldn't completely shake no matter how hard she tried. She just couldn't forget the only person to ever show her nothing bu kindness.

"W-why are you doing this?" Helga asked, finally surrendering her harsh exterior to Arnold. "Why does it even matter to you?"

"Because you're capable of so much more than this, and even though we haven't spoken in a while, I still consider you a friend. Friends help each other out", Arnold said giving Helga a small grin.

Helga at last gave Arnold the smile he'd been waiting for. It'd been so long since he'd last seen her show any sign of happiness.

"Are you sure about this, Arnold?"

"I'm positive", he ensured.

"O-okay. Wait here." Helga went inside and thanked her boss for all the years she'd spent working with him, but that she was letting herself go. She quit and came back outside to find Arnold waiting against his car. When he saw her emerge from the building he jumped up.

"So, should we drive over to your place and get all your things?" he asked.

"Arnold, I can't just move out now. I need to give them notice before I just bail."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't live with me in the meantime. They don't care whether you're actually there or not, just as long as you're paying rent, right?"

"I guess..."

"Then let's go."

"Arnold, I can handle this on my own. It's a Sunday afternoon, don't you have anything better to do with your day?"

"Well, actually, I have been pretty busy lately. I'm getting married this upcoming Saturday and there's still some things we need to clear up, but I couldn't focus on all that knowing you were here doing this and so unhappy. So don't worry about me. I _want _to be here."

"Wow. Th-thanks, Arnold."

"Anytime, Helga"

The two then got into Arnold's car and drove over to her apartment. Helga could barely contain her happiness. Not only was she getting a second chance at her dreams, she was getting a second chance at her life. And the one who made it possible was the boy she'd been in love with since she was four.

* * *

_**Why do I always seem to have Helga move into the boarding house in all my stories about the two of them? Oh well, it works somehow I guess. Hope you liked it :)**_


	7. Isn't It?

**Chapter 7: Isn't It? **

**Finally I got this chapter up! It is so unlike me to take over a week to update. I hope this chapter was worth the wait (even though it probably wont be)**

* * *

Arnold and Helga drove to her apartment. It was located above a liquor store. With her mother's past it seemed a bit ironic, but to Arnold's surprise it wasn't as run down as he'd imagined it would be. Was it the grandest of all apartments? No, but it got the job done. The walls were an off-white color and the paint was chipping slightly, but it was mostly unnoticeable. The floor was a light brown carpeting with a few dirt stains here and there, especially near the front door. In the main room was a tan colored couch and a small TV. There was also a small table in the center that held a remote and a magazine opened up to an article on _Wrestle Mania_. Also attached to the living room was the dining room. There was a little, round table that had only two seats across from one another. One seat wasn't pushed in all the way and the other looked as if it had never even been sat in. Although Arnold didn't go in, he could see a kitchen off to the far left that had a tile flooring, accompanied by basic kitchen necessities like a fridge and a stove.

Arnold then followed Helga into her bedroom and watched as she lugged a large, pink suitcase out of her closet and began to pack up her clothing. Her bedroom had a single bed, a book shelf, and a desk with a laptop and lamp on it. Her bedroom was very simple. Her whole apartment was simple, but it was decent.

After she packed all her clothes, she grabbed out another duffel bag and threw the laptop and a few books from her shelf inside. She quickly zipped it up and threw it over her shoulder.

"Make yourself useful, would ya, football head?" Helga said as she slammed the large suitcase into his chest. She then took the other bag off her shoulder and tossed it around Arnold's neck. "Take these down to the car for me. I'll be down in a minute. I just need to talk to my landlord and tell him what's going on."

Arnold made his way downstairs, tossed the bags into the back seat of his car, and began waiting for her. When Helga didn't come down within a few minutes Arnold found himself growing bored. He twisted his body around to the back and opened Helga's duffel bag. He knew he shouldn't be snooping in her things, but he was bored and curious. He used to always see her writing in these things, but he always wondered what it was exactly that she was writing. He poked his head around then slowly opened the cover to the first page when he heard Helga's voice from the distance. He shoved the book back into her bag and hastily zipped it back up, slapping on an innocent face when she got into the passenger's seat of the car.

"So did everything go okay with your landlord?"

"Yeah. I told him I wanted to move out and what my arrangement was going to be for the next couple of weeks. He was actually really cool about it all. He also said that as long as I'm not technically living there he'd shut off my power, heat, and water so that way I don't need to pay rent at all. He's going to call me when he sells it so I can decide whether I want to pick up the rest of my furniture or just sell it along with the apartment"

"That's good", Arnold said as he pulled away and began to drive to the boarding house. "You know, Helga, I'm actually surprised."

"Surprised about what?"

"Well...your apartment...it wasn't-"

"It wasn't a shit hole?" Helga interrupted, knowing exactly what he was trying to say. "Yeah, I know. Oh, Arnold, you're so ignorant."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

"No, it's okay. It's a common misconception people have. They think just because I'm a stripper I live in some ghetto or something. I'll admit my house isn't the best, but it's okay. You know, strippers actually make decent money believe it or not. Especially ones like me", Helga bragged.

"Oh, really now?" Arnold playfully teased. "So I guess you didn't really need my help now did you?"

"Well, no. I didn't" Helga said returning to a serious tone. "I do appreciate it, though. This wasn't something I wanted to do and I was beginning to think I'd be stuck in that situation my whole life, or at least until I got old and saggy. Now I don't think that's all there is out there for me. You gave me that. Th-thanks Arnold."

A smile swept across Arnold's face as he kept his eyes on the road. He was happy that Helga seemed happy and hopeful. He hadn't remembered ever seeing her like that, and what made it even better was that he was able to make it happen.

Arnold drove up to the curb in front of the boarding house and put his car in park. They grabbed Helga's bags and made their way into the house. They immediately heard a feminine voice call out from upstairs.

"Arnold? Is that you? I need your opinion on table cloths for the reception hall", Lila said as she came prancing down the stairs. Her eyes locked onto Helga's almost instantly.

"Helga? Helga Pataki? Is that you? My gosh, it's been years! You look fantastic!" Lila came running down the remaining steps and wrapped her arms around Helga, squeezing her tightly.

"Lila? What are you doing here?" Helga inquired.

"Didn't Arnold tell you? We're getting married next week!" Lila exclaimed as she let go of Helga and cuddled up next to Arnold.

"Oh. Yeah, that's right. He did mention he was getting married. It must have slipped my mind for a moment", Helga somberly replied.

"Isn't it just ever so great? Of course you're invited, by the way. So don't go making any plans for Saturday!"

"Oh yeah, because I have such a buzzing social life", Helga sarcastically commented.

"Oh, Helga. You haven't changed a bit." Lila giggled. "By the looks of your bags I can guess that my fiance here asked you to move in with us?"

"Yeah, you know Arnold, always having to do the right thing and help everyone even if they didn't ask in the first place", Helga said as she glared at Arnold.

"Mhm, that's why I love him so much", Lila said placing a light peck on Arnold's cheek.

Helga's stomach churned at the sight. She should have seen this coming. Of course Arnold would end up with _Little Miss Perfect_ Lila Sawyer...soon to be _Shortman_.

Lila took both Helga's bags in her hands and started up the stairs. "Come on, Helga. Let me show you to your room."

Helga looked back at Arnold and shrugged, then followed Lila up the stairs. When the two girls descended to the second floor, Arnold stuck his hands deep in his pockets and leaned against the wall. A large grin grew on his face as he thought. _This is going to go so well... Isn't it?_


	8. Suppress

Chapter 8: Suppress

* * *

Lila directed Helga to her room and led her to a wooden door with a golden colored number hung in the center. She opened it and let her inside.

"Here you are, Helga. Room 14. Home sweet home!" Lila said as she swung her arms out presenting the room.

Helga entered and Lila followed in after her, plopping the luggage on the bed.

"Would you like any help unpacking, Helga?" Lila graciously asked.

"Nah, I think I can handle it", Helga huffed.

"Oh. Well do you mind if I stay here with you anyway?" Lila asked as she shyly took a seat at the edge of the bed, neatly folding her hands on her lap.

"Uh...I guess", Helga hesitated, beginning to open up her suitcases and take her crumpled clothing out one by one.

"So...Helga", Lila began, breaking the silence, "Arnold told me all about your job. Well, I guess you could call it your old job now."

"Did he? Now I suppose you're going to give me another lecture about what an immoral tramp I am, right?" Helga scowled.

"No no! Not at all", Lila defended. "I actually think it was just ever so brave of you to do that. I don't think under any circumstance I could ever bring myself to muster up the courage. It was also brave of you to just leave your stable job and trust in this new plan Arnold has devised for you."

"Oh, well...thanks Lila", Helga replied almost taken aback by Lila's answer. "So how about you? What do you do for a living?"

"I'm actually a guidance counselor at Hillwood High now."

"That's nice, Lila", Helga said as she opened up her dresser drawer and placed her clothing carefully inside.

"Thanks. Also on Wednesday nights I'm an AA counselor at the community center. I think I might have even seen your mother there once or twice if I recall correctly."

"You don't say..." Helga said as she could feel her calm demeanor beginning to crumble.

"Yeah. I applaud her for trying, but she can just never seem to stick with it for any length of time."

"Yup, that's Miriam for ya", Helga blankly stated as she tried to keep down her strong emotions toward the direction this conversation had taken.

"You know, if you want you can come to my meeting with me on Wednesdays if you aren't busy. Maybe you can see you mom if she happens to stop by."

"No thanks", Helga quickly responded, trying to hint to Lila not end this topic of discussion.

"But don't you think it'd be good for you to see her after all these years?" Lila suggested.

"I said no, okay?" Helga angrily snapped.

Lila was frightened by the sudden fury in Helga's voice and backed down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you", she said as she rose from the bed and fixed her skirt. She slowly made her way to the door sensing that it'd probably be best to give Helga some space. As her hand grazed the doorknob she turned around once more. "Just know that you're welcome to come anytime, Helga. Oh, and dinner should be ready soon. You can come down if you're up for it."

As Lila left Helga stopped unpacking and flung herself onto her new bed. She knew Lila had good intentions, but she couldn't help but get defensive. Helga also knew that Lila was right. Maybe she should go see her mother. Maybe she could patch things up with her, or at least confront her and get some closure, but she couldn't. She hated admitting to herself that regardless of everything that happened she still missed her mother, or anyone from her family for that matter. The thought that she wanted to be apart of their lives again sickened her, so she just chose to repress those feelings. Helga sighed and rolled over, forcing herself up from her cotton sheets. She unpacked what was left in her suitcase and began to ready herself for dinner.

Meanwhile Arnold was still down stairs. At this point he had migrated from the hall to the living room and had tossed himself onto the green sofa. He laid down placing one hand behind his head for support and had the other hand free. He reached his spare hand into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone to call Gerald. He hadn't spoken to him since the day of his bachelor party, so he decided to tell him about everything that had happened with Helga.

"You're crazy, man", Gerald said on the other end of the receiver.

"Why, Gerald? I'm helping out a friend. I'm doing the right thing."

"This is all gonna blow up in your face. You know that, right?"

"It is not. It's going to be fine."

"So she's really there? Right now?"

"Yup. She unpacking as we speak."

"Do you think Phoebe and I could stop by later tonight? I bet Phoebe would love to see her?"

"Not tonight, Gerald. I think I should let her settle in for a while before parading her around. Maybe in a few days."

"Alright, man. I guess I'll catch you later. Have _fun_", Gerald pestered.

"Shut up, but yeah, I'll see you later."

As soon as Arnold hit _"end" _on his cell phone screen he noticed Lila creeping into the room looking distressed with a frown across her freckled face. Arnold took note of his fiance's expression and sat up, making room for her on the couch beside him.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Arnold inquired, gently patting the cushion next to him as a signal for Lila to sit with him.

Lila plopped down and said, "I messed up. I upset Helga on her very first day with us. I'm such a bad person."

"What happened, honey?" Arnold asked as he put his arm around her for comfort.

"I brought up her mother..."

"Lila...I told you not to do that this morning. You should have given her some more time before throwing that in her face", Arnold said. He was heavily annoyed with Lila for this, yet he kept his calm composure in order to avoid upsetting Lila anymore.

"I just thought since she'd have to see Olga at the wedding anyway that she might as well start talking with all of her family again. It'd do her a lot of good", she explained.

"I understand, Lila, and she will when she's ready."

"Okay, I guess", Lila replied unconvinced and unsatisfied. "I just hope she isn't too made at me and leaves."

Just then Helga came sashaying down the creaky stairs and into the room where Lila and Arnold were residing. By this time she had erased all thoughts of her mother from her brain and withheld her true feelings as she had grown accustom to doing for so long.

"Hey. So is dinner ready, yet? I'm starved", Helga asked the cuddling couple as if the conversation between her and Lila hadn't happened.

"Uh, yeah. Grandma should be finishing up", Arnold answered, slightly confused.

""Alright. I'll see ya in there", Helga said before exiting the room.

"Arnold leaned into Lila and said, "See, you got all worked up over nothing. She seems fine. From now on just try to steer clear of that topic from now on. At least for the time being."

"Okay, I will", Lila said half-heartedly.

The two got up and made their way to the dinning room and sat down to a nice pancake dinner. Arnold chuckled, realizing that Grandma must have thought it was breakfast...again. He couldn't blame her. His grandparents were 95 years old. He was just merely grateful that his grandfather's family curse didn't seem to apply to them. Still, for 95 year olds they seemed to be in great shape, even though their minds appeared to be very scattered. Regardless of the meals on their plates, Helga's first dinner at the boarding house went smoothly. All the boarders got along quite well with her, which was surprising since they sometimes can barely get along with each other. Afterwards Helga went straight to bed to ensure that she'd be well rested for her first day at the office with Arnold.


	9. Love and Luck

**Chapter 9: Love and Luck**

* * *

A buzzing sound emitted through the room, springing and bouncing off the four walls. Helga rolled over, violently smacking her alarm clock, putting an end to the insufferable tone. She rubbed her tired, blue eyes and slowly opened them only to be greeted by the bright, warm embrace of the sun's rays through the blinds. She stretched her tall, slender body across the bed. She hurled the comforter off and grunted as she pulled herself up. As she sat there she looked around at her room almost surprised at her surroundings. Part of her still expected to wake up in her apartment, yet here she was in the boarding house. Arnold's boarding house, for the matter. The whole idea of it still refused to sink in.

She spun to the side, throwing her legs off the mattress and placed her feet on the cold, wooden floor of her new room. She walked over to her drawer and found the nicest thing she owned. She hung the clothing over her arm and grabbed her towel and trudged herself over to the bathroom to get ready. When she got there a line had already began to form. Including Helga, there were three people on line, and one person already in the shower. Helga could tell it was Mr. Hyunh in the shower because she could hear his angelic, country style voice echo through the hallway. In front of the line was a short, balding man named Ernie. Behind him was a tall blonde named Suzie. Suzie looked exhausted and stressed, and from time to time would knock on the door, politely asking Mr. Hyunh to hurry up, but it was no use. The sounds of the shower head and his singing drowned out Suzie's calm, patient voice. Most people were furious that he was taking so long, but Helga didn't mind. She enjoyed listening to Mr. Hyunh sing. It was a more pleasant sound to wake up to other rather than her alarm.

Eventually Helga was able to get in, take a shower, and get dressed. As soon as she did she scampered down the stairs and found Lila and Gertie in the kitchen. Gertie was at the stove, cooking eggs and bacon while Lila was at the table sipping orange juice. Lila was already showered and ready for work. Helga was hesitant to enter the room. She still felt a bit out of place in the boarding house, especially when Arnold wasn't around.

"Good morning, Eleanor. Please come in and join us at the First Continental Congress", Gertie said with a smile as she noticed Helga from the corner of her eye.

"Yes, Helga, sit next to me", Lila suggested, pushing the chair that was beside her out.

Helga timidly sat down at the table as Gertie place two sunny side up eggs and two strips of bacon on a plate in front of her.

"Eat up, Eleanor! We've got a long day on the campaign trail ahead of us!"

Helga smiled and thanked her as she quickly began digging into her breakfast.

"So Helga, are you excited for your first day of work with Arnold?" Lila asked as she watched Helga stuff her face.

"Yeah, I guess", Helga replied.

"Not to be rude, but is that what you're wearing today?" Lila wondered, looking Helga up and down noticing she had on black jeans and a pink long sleeve shirt.

"Yeah, what's you're point?"

"I just don't think that's really office appropriate", Lila admitted.

Feeling judged, Helga quickly snapped on the defensive. "Well _sorry_, Ms. Perfect. I'm sorry I'm not used to getting dolled up all fancy to go to work. I'm not really even used to getting dressed for work. This is the best I got."

"Oh, gosh, I did it again, didn't I? I'm sorry if I made you mad. I wasn't trying to make you feel bad, I just was wondering if you wanted to borrow something from me to wear. At least until you get some new clothes of your own."

"O-Oh", Helga stuttered, feeling like a bit of a jerk for jumping to conclusions. "Well, yeah. That'd be great."

"Great! I'll let you finish your breakfast and I'll go run upstairs and get something I think would look perfect on you! Stay here!" Lila exclaimed, practically skipping up the stairs, leaving Helga alone with Gertie in the kitchen. To break the awkward silence, Helga decided to speak up.

"So Gertie, where's Arnold this morning?"

"Oh, Kimba stepped out for a moment. He'll be back soon. Why do you ask, Eleanor?"

"No reason, I was just curious."

Just then they heard footsteps stampeding door the stairs and turn their attention toward the doorway where Lila emerged into the kitchen.

"You like pink right?" Lila asked with a certain perkiness in her voice.

"Yeah, just a _little_ bit", Helga sarcastically responded.

"Then _ta-da_!" Lila announced, presenting a pink dress to Helga. It looked like it would could down to about mid-calf, and along the bottom were slight frills. It was a spaghetti strap dress, but Lila also brought down a short sleeved, white business jacket to go on top. Helga had to admit it was a bit girly for her taste, but it was nice, and she appreciate Lila's gesture. Besides, it wasn't like she had anything else to wear.

"Do you like it?" Lila excitedly asked.

"It's really nice, Lila. Thank you", Helga said, getting up and gently taking the dress out of Lila's hands. "I guess I'll go put it on."

"Yes, please do! I can't wait to see how you look", Lila insisted.

Helga went up into her room and changed clothing. Once she was done she walked over to the mirror and gazed at the reflection looking back at her. She was surprised at her appearance. She knew how to be sexy, but pretty was something she never put much time into. She suddenly felt a jolt of confidence slither it's way into her body. She hoped Arnold would appreciate her attire and would maybe even think she looked nice.

She proudly marched back to the kitchen, ready to show herself off. Once she stepped into the kitchen Arnold opened up the backdoor and enter the room as well, drawing all the attention away from Helga and to himself. Arnold walked in with both hands behind his back.

"Hey, Arnold, where have you been?" Lila wondered.

"I just thought I'd surprise you with these", Arnold said, presenting a bouquet of roses to Lila.

"Oh, Arnold, they're beautiful. Just ever so beautiful. Thank you so much", Lila squealed, accepting the flowers and holding them up to her nose to breathe in their alluring fragrance.

Arnold kissed Lila on the top of her head. "Anything for you, baby." Arnold then looked over at Helga who looked a bit flustered and upset. "And don't think I forgot about you, Helga." Arnold then removed the other hand from behind his back and held out a bouquet for Helga. "They're called _stephanotis_. The lady told me these flowers represent good luck. I thought you could use it on your first day at work with me", Arnold sweetly said.

Helga took that flowers in her hands. "Th-thanks, Arnold. You didn't have to do this."

"I know, but I wanted to. So are you ready to go?"

Helga nodded her head and watched as Arnold gave Lila a kiss good-bye. As she followed Arnold out to his car she realized then that Arnold would never see her in any other way besides a friend. Lila would always be the rose in his life. This was just something she'd have to get used to if she was going to live at the boarding house, and if she was going to work with him. Arnold started the car engine the the two drove off to work, hoping this would be the start of something good.


	10. Day One

**Chapter 10: Day One**

**Yay! Finally! I miss not being able to post everyday, but with the end of the semester things are kinda crazy right now. But, alas, here it is! **

* * *

Arnold and Helga walked through the rotating door of the large building. Helga quietly trailed behind Arnold as she watched him nod, shake hands and exchange hellos with his co-workers. Helga couldn't help but find it cute how professional and grown-up Arnold had become. The last time she saw him he was just a mere high school student, but now he's an adult.

After taking an elevator ride up to the tenth floor, they made it to Arnold's office. Outside of it was a desk that Helga assumed was for her.

"Here we are, Helga."

"Great", Helga seat, plopping onto the chair of her new work space. She put her feet up on the desk and leaned back in her seat saying, "I can get used to this."

"Well I'm glad you approve", Arnold said, chuckling at Helga's mannerisms. "So how about I give you a run down of things I need you to do."

"Sure. Hit me", Helga said with confidence.

"Today I'm going to need you to answer my calls, keep track of my schedule, create an organized filing system for me, and kind of act as my assistant if I need anything else throughout the day. Think you can handle it?"

"Of course I can. This is Helga G. Pataki you're talking about. It'll be a snap. That's really _all_ I need to do?"

"For now, yes. I'll have more stuff for you as you begin to adjust. So are you going to be okay out here? I've got a big proposal coming up and I need to finish work on my current designs."

"Yeah. No sweat. Just go, football head. I've got it under control. Stop worrying about me."

"Okay, I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Well, _doi_!"

Arnold smiled at Helga one last time before he finally walked into his office. He picked up a blue print and rolled it out across his desk and began to work when he heard a knock on the door. He shouted, "Come in", without even looking up from his design. He expected it to be Helga with a question, but instead he heard a deep, masculine voice that he recognized only belonged to one person.

"Hey Arnold, so who's the new meat?" the man said.

Arnold looked up and saw his co-worker, Ron. Ron was a tall, lean man with short brown hair and green eyes. He was your typical pretty boy that most girls would probably swoon over. Arnold was a little less than pleased to see him. It wasn't that Arnold didn't like Ron, he was just a bit rough around the edges.

"That's Helga. She's my new secretary for the time being. Also I'd prefer it if you didn't refer to her as '_meat_.' Thanks" Arnold said, trying to sound as polite as he could without much luck.

"Ooo, you're so touchy, _Mr. Sensitivity", _Ron teased. "Why do you even care anyway? What is she, your new squeeze or some shit?"

"Uhm, no. She's just a friend, and as you recall I'm getting married this weekend. You were invited to the wedding, remember?" Arnold replied sharply.

"So what? Like that means anything. I know plenty of married guys who have a little something on the side, especially if they're that hot and working that closely to them", Ron said, making gestures toward Helga.

"Well that isn't me, Ron."

"That's right, you're too much of a pansy, but I guess this is good news for me then. If you don't already have dibs then she's up for grabs", Ron said as he began to make his way for the door.

"Ron, don't. No offense, but I don't think you and Helga would be good for each other", Arnold noted, knowing exactly what Ron is like, trying to protect Helga from inevitable heartbreak.

"Well, that's for her to decide, don't you think? Come on, Shortman, stop being such a cock-block", Ron concluded before leaving the room.

A portion of him wanted to run out there and stop Ron from getting involved with Helga. Ron was the biggest womanizer Arnold has ever come to know and couldn't bare to see Helga fall for him only to be disappointed. She's had enough disappointments in life already, and Arnold felt personally obligated to change that cycle. However, Arnold knew Helga typically didn't like accepting help. He was still surprised Helga agreed to the boarding house and the job, he couldn't push it by involving himself in her love life, too. Arnold just sighed and continued his work. Helga was a big girl, she could handle herself with Ron, he thought.

Meanwhile, just outside his office, Ron already began smoothly strutting over to Helga. He push a few things out of the way and sat along the edge her desk, which made Helga look up from her computer screen at the strikingly handsome man in front of her.

"C-can I help you?" Helga nervously stuttered as she gazed into his emerald eyes.

"I just noticed that you were new here and I wanted to come over and introduce myself. Hi, I'm Ron", he said, extending his hand toward Helga.

Helga took hold of his hand and gently shook it. "Hi, I'm Helga. Helga Pataki."

"Oh, I already know", Ron proclaimed as he brought her hand up to his lips, placing a light peck on it.

Helga could feel her cheeks turning brought red and pulled her out of his grip in embarrassment. "So, um, I have a lot of work to get done here. I'll, uh, see you around?

"I sure hope so, but you know what I'd like even more?"

Helga shook her head, causing her long, blonde hair to sway side to side.

"What I'd really like to see is you outside of this building some time soon. How about you let me take you out?"

"Um... with this new job and my recent move I don't know if now is the best time", Helga hesitated. There was a large chunk of her brain screaming at her for turning Ron down. He seemed to be anything a woman could want in a man. He was attractive, charming, confident, seemingly nice, and clearly successful, but there was one thing he wasn't. He wasn't Arnold, and that was what her heart was set on.

"Oh, I- I understand completely", Ron said, sounding slightly surprised and defeated. It wasn't often that he was turned down by woman, and he was certainly not about to give up so easily. "But you know, if you change your mind you can always give me a call", Ron suggested as he suavely slid his card over to Helga that contained his number.

Helga picked up the card and grinned trying to contain her overall excitement. "Sure, I will."

"Good. Don't got forgetting, okay?" Ron said with a wink as he began to walk back to his office.

Helga nodded and watched Ron disappear down the hallway. Once he was out of sight she let out a small sigh and placed the card into her purse. She couldn't believe someone like hat could like her. She had grown accustom to only middle aged pervs yearning after her that this felt different. Different, but nice. Helga saw in amazement of what had happened for a moment. She quickly snapped herself out of it and continued to work on Arnold's schedule. Her mind would still often drift over to Ron. She fantasized about his striking features and his bright, welcoming smile until suddenly her thought would be interrupted by Arnold. In the end everything always came back t the football headed boy she met when she was four, but was her fixation worth it? Was it a waste of time Should she give up and let someone else find their way into her heart...perhaps someone like Ron?


	11. Your Life

**Chapter 11: Your Life**

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"Honey, we're home", Arnold called out at the end of the day as he and Helga walked through the big, green door of the boarding house. Lila came rushing out of the kitchen wearing a frilly, pink apron tied around her slim waist. As she wiped off her hands she leaned over and brushed her lips against Arnold's cheek. "So, how was your day?" Arnold asked.

"Oh you know, it was just a typical day of fixing classes, scheduling parent conferences and talking with distressed students, but enough about me. I'm ever so interested in how your first day went, Helga", Lila insisted.

"It was alright. The work was pretty mindless, but I guess it was worth it. Also all the people there seem really nice."

Arnold scoffed. "You're not talking about Ron are you?"

"Not just Ron, but yes, he is included. Not that it's any of your business, Arnoldo", Helga defended.

"Ooh, Ron. Who's he?" Lila asked as she playfully nudged Helga with her elbow.

"You've definitely met Ron, Lila. He's the overly forward guy who works down the hall from me in the corner office. He's my partner on my most recent project", Arnold informed.

"Oh. _That_ Ron. I'm not so sure how I feel about him, but if Helga likes him then I'm sure he's just ever so wonderful."

"I don't like him", Helga grunted. "I don't even get what you two chuckle-heads are droning on about. He seems perfectly fine. Besides, there's nothing going on between us anyway so there really isn't anything to talk about." Helga stomped into the living room and plopped down onto the sofa.

"Whatever you say, Helga", Arnold sighed as he typically did when he knew Helga was lying. He then turned his attention over to fiance. "Well, Lila, I'm going to head upstairs and get out of this monkey suit."

"Alright, just hurry up. Gertie and I are just about done with dinner."

Arnold pulled Lila's firm body into his own by her waist. "Although I think it's really sweet that you're helping my grandma, you really didn't have to."

"I know, but I thought it'd be nice to bond some more with my future grandmother-in-law. It's also great practice for when I start cooking for our own family. Not to mention I was also getting ever so tired of having two breakfasts a day", Lila admitted as she let out a small giggle.

"Aha, I see. Not to sound sexist, but you look really sexy in that apron", Arnold seductively said before beginning to nuzzle Lila's neck.

"Arnold...not now", Lila mumbled, squirming her way out of Arnold's arms and heading toward the kitchen.

"Aw, boo, no fair!" Arnold groaned.

Lila popped her red head out of the kitchen doorway and stuck her tongue out at him then vanished behind the wall.

Helga watched from the living room as Arnold ascended up the stairs after his and Lila's romantic exchange. She felt a sudden ache sting her heart, yet also felt a sense of inspiration. She had a poem built up inside her that needed to be released. She sprung up from the couch and quickly headed for her room when she collided with Arnold in the second floor hallway.

"Hey Helga. Where are you off to in such a rush?"

"N-nowhere. I just thought I-I'd go hang out in my room for a while to, you know, wind down from such a long day", Helga fibbed, fumbling for her words and nervously scratching the back of her neck. All the while she stared at the floor, not even trying to make eye contact with Arnold.

Arnold knew Helga well enough to see that something wasn't right. "Oh. Are you okay? You seem a bit off? Is it because we badged you about Ron? If that's it then I'm sorry."

"What? No. Of course not", Helga sneered. "Am I okay? Of course I'm okay. Why would you ask me such a dumb question?" Helga snapped, turning her body away from Arnold and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Helga...", Arnold said, placing a hand on her shoulder and turning her around. "Tell me what's wrong. I thought today went well. Did it not?"

"It did. I just... I don't know. I always feel out of place when I get back to this house. I don't belong here. This is your life, Arnold, not mine", Helga said, still keeping her eyes glued to the floor.

"But you are a huge part of my life, Helga. Sure, maybe we haven't seen each other for a while until recently, but that doesn't erase our past. Do you realize how many memories we have together?"

Helga finally lifted her head, looked at Arnold and let a small laugh escape her lips. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that one. We did spend a lot of time together, especially in our days at PS 118."

"Yeah, I mean, come to think of it...we were even each others first kiss. Remember?"

Helga smiled brightly at the sweet memory. "Yeah, I remember. It was in that dumb play Mr. Simmons had us put on."

"Well I'd hardly call Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliette '_dumb', but yes. I still don't understand how you ended up getting that part. How could four other girls, including Lila, back out like that?"

"That's because no one wanted to kiss your football face", Helga innocently joked, gently shoving Arnold's shoulder.

"Ouch!" Arnold gasped, faking offense as he placed his hand on his chest.

The two then began to laugh, and as the cackling died down their eyes became locked on one another. As their gaze continued and the silence prolonged, a strong tension grew between them, and Helga's mind begged her to confess.

"A-Arnold, I-", Helga began, before being cut off by a loud shout from the floor below.

"Come on everyone! Dinner's ready!" Lila called.

Helga's face sunk in disappointment having finally mustered up the courage, only to be shot down by a sign from the universe once again. "Oh, so I guess we should head on down."

"Helga, wait", Arnold said, running ahead of Helga, stopping her on her path down the staircase. "Were you going to say something?"

"N-no. It wasn't important", Helga hesitated.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. It was nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Alright, but you know I'm here if you need me, right?"

"Yes, I know. How could I not know at this point since you keep reminding me", Helga snickered, poking fun at Arnold's kind nature. "So come one, let's head down before your fiance freaks out on us."

Arnold grinned and followed Helga to the kitchen, still wondering what it was that Helga was trying to say. He knew it was something important, but didn't want to force Helga into telling him. He hoped and assumed that in time the truth would come out and everything would make sense.


	12. Day Two: A Pleasant Surprise

**Chapter 12:**

**Sorry I haven't updated in a really long time. Between finals and the holidays I've been pretty swamped. I'm on break for a month now though so I should be faster with updates. Also I hope everyone else had a great holiday. Lastly, I know this chapter is really short. I wanted to combine this one and the next one, but I went a little bit overboard on the next chapter and it would have been way to long placing it in with this one. So if this one ends kind of abruptly, that's why.**

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The next work day proceeded just as it had the day before. Arnold worked on his design proposal, Helga worked on Arnold's filing system, and all the while Ron worked on getting Helga, especially as in approached lunchtime. His would consistently sport his way over to Helga's desk and ask her out to lunch with him. Although a portion of Helga wanted to say yes, she couldn't bring herself to. At least not yet. Arnold, taking notice of Ron persistent behavior, decided to take Helga out to lunch instead as an excuse for her to say no to Ron. He thought he was helping, but all he was doing was toying with Helga's emotions even more.

Finally, however, the clock hit five and it was time to hop back into the car and head home. This time they were in store for a little surprise.

Arnold and Helga raced to the front door. Helga stepped through first and called out, "Honey, I'm home", in a voice that imitated and mocked Arnold's.

Lila poked her head from behind the doorway into the living room. "Hi guys. We have some visitors", she happily informed.

Suddenly a tiny Asian woman popped out into the hallway. She had short, black hair and was wearing a navy blues pants suit.

"Helga!" the woman shouted with glee.

_"Phoebe?!"_ Helga called back, only half sure that she was seeing correctly. This woman had many of Phoebe's features, but still looked so different somehow. She was older, more mature, but that's what age and time will do to you. She also couldn't believe it was really her best friend from high school who she hadn't seen in years was truly there before her.

"Oh my God! I can't believe it's actually you! I almost didn't believe Gerald when he told me you were back in town", Phoebe said as she ran up and wrap her small, thin arms around Helga's skinny waist. "So...wow! How are you?" Phoebe asked as her eyes poked up with curiosity.

"I'm alright I guess. How about you, Pheobs? What have you been up to?"

"I'm good", Phoebe said as she released Helga from her tiny clutches. "I recently got a job at Hillwood Hospital, even though I'm still taking classes to earn my degree so I can be a licensed surgeon. I'll be lucky if I'm out of school this decade", Phoebe joked. "I also just moved into a new apartment with Gerald. Between work, school, the move, and my relationship my life has been pretty hectic to say the least. Don't worry though, I'll never be to busy to see you now that you're back."

"That's great, Phoebe. I'm glad everything is working out for you. It seems to me that everything you'd hoped and planned for in high school is finally coming true", Helga said sincerely, although she couldn't help but be a tad jealous of Phoebe's life and accomplishments. Phoebe was already living out her dreams, and Helga was just beginning to work for them.

"So come on, Helga", Phoebe said, taking a strong grip on Helga's hand. "I want to hear all about what's been going on with you!" Phoebe then dragged Helga into the other room as Lila followed behind them.

Arnold then made his way over to Gerald who had earlier trailed behind his girlfriend and leaned against the banister of the stairs as he watched the two friends get re-antiquated. "I thought we were going to wait to get them together', Arnold softly grumbled in annoyance.

"Arnold, please. I live with the woman. You really thought that it wouldn't slip out? Who cares, anyway?" Gerald replied.

"You don't think it was a bit overwhelming to surprise her like that?" Arnold suggested.

"No, actually I don't. How would it be? They were best friends for years. I'm sure Helga is thrilled to see her. You worry way to much. This is Helga Pataki we're talking about. I think she tough enough to handle seeing Phoebe. Give me a break", Gerald scoffed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right", Arnold admitted in defeat.

"Of course I am. Now let's head into the living room with the girls and have ourselves a little reunion."

The two men walked through the arch that led into the living room and saw the three girls on the sofa. Helga was sandwiched in between Phoebe and Lila as they gossiped. Helga was just wrapping up her story, filling Phoebe in on her life for the passed five years. Phoebes eyes were wide with shock.

"Oh my, Helga. That would have been my last guess as to what you've been up to. I can't believe it", Phoebe exclaimed.

"Yeah, well believe it", Helga stated.

"Helga, can I ask you something, though?" Lila nervously asked in her high pitched voice.

"Sure, what is it?"

"You've been just ever so open about your parents and what led you down that path, but you never said how it happened exactly. Why didn't you just get a job that was more typical, like as a waitress or something? Or did you leave home with the aspiration of becoming an exotic dancer?"

"Lila!" Arnold shouted as her ran up and sat on the arm of the couch beside Lila and put his arm around her shoulders. "We shouldn't be invading in Helga's personal business."

"Not to be rude, but honey, to be perfectly honest you're probably the last person who should be talking, Arnold", Lila timidly confessed.

"Yeah, Arnold", Gerald added, "you ran up to her and pulled her off the stage mid-performance and forced her to live with you. I think you win this year's inference award, buddy."

"I know, I know. You're all right, but all I'm saying is that if she hasn't told us by now then I don't think she wants to", Arnold explained.

"Arnold, it's fine. Would you knock off trying to tiptoe around me? I can handle myself", Helga said, finally speaking for herself in this situation. "If you all want to know how it happened then I'll tell you everything", and just like that Helga began to tell her full story as Phoebe, Lila, Arnold, and Gerald all gathered around.

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**Hope this was decent, especially accounting for the long wait. So yup, her story will be all of next chapter. See you then hopefully if you're still reading this :)**


	13. The Whole Story

**Chapter 13: The Whole Story**

**The first chunk of this chapter is told from entirely Helga's POV and is sorta flashback-y. Then it goes back to a more broad POV. **

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I had just got home from graduation. I threw my cap and gown over the banister of my staircase and began to search for my parents since they had been missing in action at the ceremony.

"Bob? Miriam?", I called out with no answer in return.

I gently tapped on my mother's bedroom door and heard a soft mumble behind the walls. I couldn't really make up what she was saying, but I opened the door anyway to find her still in bed surrounded by empty bottles of hard liquor. Many of these bottles were old. I could tell from the layers of dust on top of the glass. My mom wasn't the type to clean up after herself. However, it was also clear that many of those bottles had just been opened that day. Despite her drunken stupor, I tried to talk with her anyway.

"Hi, Mom. I just got home from graduation. I'm so glad to finally be done with that place and start fresh at university." I had gotten into NYU a few months earlier. All I had to do was send in the payment, then I was off to New York. It was the proudest I'd ever been of myself and I only hoped my parents would be too, but of course they weren't. "You know, I really wish you and Dad could have made it to my ceremony."

"Oh that's right, your father...", Miriam finally replied. "He's...uh... out of town on business. Remember? He's extending his chain of stores. He's in...uhm...oh God, what town was it again?"

Surprise, surprise. Dad missed my graduation for something business related. Shocker. It's also typical that I'd be completely left out of the family loop, knowing nothing about this trip.

"Whatever. It doesn't really matter. Maybe he explains everything in this letter", Miriam concluded, as she reached over to her nightstand and pulled out an envelope from underneath a bottle of whiskey which caused the it to fall off the nightstand and shatter onto the wood floor. Miriam didn't pay much mind to the mess and handed me the envelope. "Your father told me to give this to you", Miriam said before falling back into a drunken coma.

I looked at the envelope. It had my name written in my father's handwriting on the front. At first I was overwhelmed with joy. For starters he had gotten my name right for once. Also, even though my Dad couldn't be at my graduation, he at least bothered to give me a card which would hopefully prove that there's at least a small part of him that does love me. I eagerly ripped open the envelope and found a letter inside. I unfolded it and began to look it over. It read:

_As you know, I'm expanding my empire to Pennsylvania which is why I won't be attending your ceremony. This weekend we are beginning the construction of the new store which I had to be there for. Unfortunately the business has been a little tight on money lately. This was a problem because I needed to pay the workers in advance. I'm writing to let you know that I took the money from your college fund to pay for my new store. I knew you wouldn't mind, being that sending you to college would have been a waste of time and money. Anyway, what I'm really writing to tell you is that now that you're 18 and out of high school, I don't think it's appropriate for you to be sponging off of us anymore. By the time I get back from my trip I'd expect that you've moved out. _

_Big Bob_

_PS- Don't take anything that belongs to the family. That includes the car. _

__I felt like I couldn't breathe. In just over a hundred words my Dad managed to take what little I had away from me, and he didn't even have the audacity to do it in person. I almost didn't believe it. All that hard work for nothing. What was I going to do now?

Without a word to my mother I left her bedroom and walked into my own, or at least what was my room for the time being. I took two suitcases and filled them with as much as I could. I took all the money I had in savings and left right then and there.

By this point I really had no reason to stay in Hillwood. Hillwood had become a town that symbolized everything I hated. I needed to get out. I used some of my money and bought a train ticket. I got off a few towns over and wandered around until I found myself in front of a bar. I knew with my mother's history it probably wasn't the smartest idea, but I went in anyway. I needed something to numb the pain, and since it'd worked for my mom for all those years it might help. I got into the bar with no problem, but when it came to getting a drink the bartender needed an ID. This was the test I failed.

"Great, I don't have family, friends, a house, or anything, and now I can't even bum a drink", I grumbled as I picked up my luggage and hobbled out the door. A few steps out of the building I heard a voice calling out for someone, and it sort of sounded like it was calling out for me. I stopped shortly and turned to notice a man quickly heading in my direction. He was maybe in his mid-30s or early 40s. He had long black hair that was thick and wavy, and it was tied back in a low pony tail. He had a goatee and a thin mustache, and despite the fact that it was dark, he still had on a pair of sunglasses. In all honesty, he was a bit sketchy at first.

"Hi. My name is Mark", the man introduced as he stuck out his hand.

"I'm Helga", I said, shaking his protruding hand.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but hear that you have no place to sleep tonight. My roommate just moved out so I have a spare room if you're interested", Mark politely offered.

My better instincts told me not to go with him. There are horror movies and rape plot lines that start out this way, but I really had no other options. I agreed and he drove us both to his apartment where I unpacked and settled down in the spare bedroom. Before heading off to bed I found Mark in his kitchen and slapped $300 onto the counter.

"Here. This is all I have, but I hope it'll cover rent for a few nights at least. Thank so you much, and I promise you that I'm hitting the classifieds tomorrow bright and early."

"So what? You're planning on getting some lousy fast food job?"

"Or something like that, yes. At least until I can figure out something better to do with my life."

"What if I were to tell you I have something a little better", Mark said with a smirk as he eyed me up and down.

I quickly jumped to conclusions. "I don't care how much you'd pay me, I will not sleep with you", I scolded.

Mark threw his hands up in the air. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, who said anything about sex? I'm talking about something a bit more...artistic, if you will."

"I'm not really following."

"Remember that old roommate I mentioned earlier?" I nodded, then he continued. "Well, he was a buddy of mine. We owned a gentleman's club together down on Elmont Ave. That was at least until he fell in love with one of our dancers. He quit the business and the two ran off together. Now not only am I short a partner and a roommate, but he also left me short a dancer in our line up. You've already solved one of those problems, so how about you solve another one?"

"Listen pal, I know we just met and you don't really know me all that well, but I'm not really into that whole thing. No offense, but Helga G. Pataki does not strip. Sorry."

"But do you realize how beautiful you are? I bet you're a natural."

"Even if I was a natural, it's just not in the cards for me. I want to be a writer, not a dancer."

"But how is being some cashier at McDonald's getting you any closer to that dream? At least this way you'll have an outlet to be a little more creative. Not to mention you'll make a hell of a lot more with me than you would at some shitty minimum wage gig."

I thought about how much I needed the money. Sure, I could have taken any old job, but I needed the money now. "How much are we talking here?"

"It all depends on how good you are, but I can guarantee it'll be more than a crappy $7.50 an hour."

I thought for a moment before answering, then I hesitantly responded, "Fine. I'm in."

"Oh my God! Thank you! You're really saving my line up, you know. I promise you wont regret it."

"Yeah, well, we'll see about that."

The next morning Mark took me to work early in the AM. He introduced me to another dancer named Candace. She gave me a crash course on what to do. I originally had no intentions of going on that night, but Mark and Candace thought I had talent and that I had what it takes to go on right away. Just like that, twelve hours later I was on stage performing for dozens of men. Candace had even created a stage name for me to go by. She said _Helga_ sounded a lot like _Hell Girl_ and went with that.

At first I thought I'd hate it and quit right away, but I didn't. For once in my life I felt loved and accepted. Not only did I feel supported by my co-workers, but I felt appreciated and wanted by the men I performed for. I had been so used to feeling unwanted at home that I quickly became hooked on the attention I got when I was onstage. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. At least until Arnold showed up 5 years later. He reminded me of my real dreams and also made me feel important and worthy of the life that I truly desired. It was hard to leave my dancing job because it had been my family for so long, but it was time to let that go and become the person that I was really meant to be.

...

As Helga wrapped up her story, the four members of her audience all stared at her in silence. They weren't sure whether to feel sorry for her hardships, glad that she was able to find some sort of happiness stripping for all those years, feel bad for pulling her away from her makeshift family, or to feel happy that that part of her life is behind her and she's now beginning to pursue her writing. Despite their conflict, Arnold knew exactly how to feel. He was proud he could be one of the people who didn't let her down. One of those people who made he feel good and was able to give her the strength and courage to take a chance on herself.

"Wow, Helga, I had no idea. I can't be surprised though, you've always been strong enough to get through anything", Phoebe said, finally speaking up.

"Thanks, Phoebe", Helga said to her high school best friend, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"So anyway, on the way over Gerald and I thought it'd be nice to take you all out to celebrate Helga's return."

"I said no such thing", Gerald interjected.

Phoebe shot Gerald a stern look as if she were saying _shut up_ with her eyes. She then returned her attention to her friends and laughed. "Gerald's just joking around. Come on, let's go. Our treat", Phoebe insisted as she motioned for everyone to get up. As they all began to head for the front door, Gerald grabbed onto Phoebe's arms and whispered into her ear.

"Phoebe, we're already paying for the apartment, schooling, and our everyday expenses. We can't afford to pay for this."

"Come on, Gerald, she was my best friend. I want us to be as close as we used to be, and what better way to start than by doing something nice for her. It seemed to work for Arnold and Lila. Please", Phoebe begged.

"Okay, okay, fine. Let's just hope they pick a place that's moderately priced."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you, Gerald!"

"I love you too, Phoebe", he said, kissing her on the top of her head. Phoebe then grabbed his hand and led him toward the exit.

Arnold held the door open for everyone as they poured out of the boarding house and headed to their individual cars. Helga was the last one to leave the boarding house and as she passed Arnold she looked up at him with wide eyes and gave him a small smile. Arnold smiled backed as the tall, blonde girl made her way outside and over to Lila. He watched as the two most important girls in his life stood together as he locked up the front door and ran over to meet up with them.

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**Mehh the ending of this chapter was kinda terrible. Oh well. Hope you liked it :)**


	14. Day Three

**Chapter 14: Day Three**

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Helga yawned and rolled over. She sprung up in a panic at the sight of her alarm clock which flashed 7:45 AM. She had to be ready to leave by 8. She'd spent a large portion of the night before catching up with Phoebe into the wee hours of the morning. By the time Phoebe went home and she had to chance to head to bed she must have forgotten to set her alarm. She quickly got dressed, put on a little make-up and made her hair as presentable as possible before heading down stairs to grab a quick breakfast. At the bottom of the staircase she bumped into Lila, who looked as if she'd been up and ready hours ago.

"Oh. Good morning Helga", Lila greeted in her usual friendly, chipper tone. "I was just coming to wake you. I was ever so worried that you wouldn't be ready in time, but it seems like you are. Arnold is already waiting for you in the car", she informed, handing Helga a banana nut muffin to save her a trip to the kitchen.

"Thanks, Lila. See you later", Helga said, rushing out the green, wooden door. She pulled open the car door and threw herself inside.

"Hey, sorry I'm a little late", Helga apologized as she caught her breath and took a large bite out of her muffin.

"It's okay. You're really not that late. Besides, I completely understand. You had a late night", Arnold said, putting his car in drive and pulling away from the curb beginning their early morning commute to work. "I'm glad you enjoyed seeing Phoebe yesterday."

"Yeah, it was really nice to see her. It's been way to long and we had a lot of catching up to do. I still can't believe you thought I'd be too overwhelmed to see you. Criminey, she was my best friend!" Helga laughed.

"I know, it was stupid. It's going to sound crazy, but I have this strange feeling that I need to protect you, especially now after your story from last night", Arnold confessed.

"Well you don't have to. You've done enough for me, and please don't use that story as an excuse to baby me even more than you already are", she pleaded.

"Okay, I won't. Speaking of that story, there's one question I still wanted to ask you."

"Oh yeah? Go ahead. I don't mind."

"That apartment we went to earlier this week, you know, where we picked up your stuff", Arnold anxiously began, "was that the apartment you were sharing with that Mark guy?"

"Oh. No, it wasn't. I left his place when I made enough money to live on my own. Why did you want to know?" Helga suspiciously questioned.

"I was just... uh... curious. That's all."

"That's all, huh?" I don't believe that. There had to be a reason you asked. Spill it now, football head!"

Arnold nervously stumbled for the right words. He wasn't even quite sure why he wanted to know or why he cared so much in the first place. "I guess I was just wondering if you and him were sort of a thing. Living with someone that long could easily be a sign of a relationship."

"What? Are you serious? He was about 20 years older than me, and he was my boss. That's insane. What made you even think to ask that?"

"I don't know. I guess I was just curious. You never really told me about any relationships you've had."

"Well that's because maybe I haven't really had any. Any real ones anyway. I've been on a few dates here and there, but nothing ever really clicked. I guess I wasn't interested in getting too serious or intimate with a guy I wasn't completely sold on", she explained.

"Oh, well that's good... I mean it's good you didn't settle for the wrong guy", Arnold said with an uneasy smile, realizing how much of an awkward hole he'd dug himself into. He still wasn't quite sure what even motivated this conversation in him anyway. Why did he want to know about Helga's love life so bad? Why was he so curious about it?

Helga could clearly see how uncomfortable Arnold looked and hastily tried to switch the conversation over to something else. "So...do you and Lila have any more surprise guests for me tonight?"

Relieved, Arnold answered, "No, I doubt it. Lila won't even be home tonight."

"Oh. Why not?"

"She's got her AA meeting to counsel tonight, remember? Which, by the way, she asked me to invite you along once again."

Helga grunted and folded her arms over her chest. "I talked to her about this already. I don't want to see my mother. Why would I even want to? Were you even listening at all yesterday?"

"I know. Believe me, I'm on your side. Lila just thinks that your mom had nothing to do with you getting kicked out. She's not even convinced your mom knew about all the things your father did until it was too late. She thinks seeing each other would be good for the both of you."

"I don't know, Arnold..."

"And that's okay. We're not going to force you one way or the other. Lila only wanted you to know that the invite is on the table."

"Yeah, I know. I realize that her heart is in the right place, I'm just not sure if I'm ready to face her. At least not yet. That's all."

"Alright. That's fine", Arnold concluded as her pulled into the parking lot of his office building. He maneuvered himself into the nearest parking space to the entrance and twisted the key out the the ignition. "So, ready for day three?"

"Yup, you know it", Helga said half-heartedly. She didn't know how she was supposed to focus on her work now that her thought were all consumed of her mother and whether or not she should take Lila up on her offer.


	15. Should I Go?

**Chapter 15: Should I Go?**

**Oh man, guys, I just realized I reached over a hundred comments. That's insane! Thank you all so much for the (mostly) positive feedback. I hope you like this chapter.**

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Much as Helga expected, it was hard for her that day to get anything done. Thoughts of her mother and that last afternoon she spent at home replayed over and over again in her mind. Even Ron's ruthless attempts to hit on her went unnoticed and unrecognized.

"Hey, Helga, I can't help but notice you seem a little upset today. I hate seeing a frown on that pretty little face of yours. What's wrong?" Ron asked as he crept up behind Helga and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I guess I've just got a lot on my mind. That's all."

"If there's anything you need to talk about, I'm here to listen", Ron said as he began to gently and slowly rub her tense shoulders.

Helga uncomfortably rolled her shoulders and shook Ron's hands off of her. "Don't you have work to do or something?" she blandly asked turning her body toward her computer and beginning to type.

"Well yeah, I do, but work can wait. You're more important right now", Ron said, finding a spare chair and pulling it up beside Helga.

On the inside Helga could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Ron's kind words and compassionate gestures put Helga in a state of pure bliss. However, Helga was hesitant to let her guard down, especially for a man she barely knew. "You're not going to leave until I tell you, are you?" Helga sighed.

"Nope. Not likely", he grinned.

"Fine", Helga said inhaling deeply before she continued. "It's my mom. I haven't seen her in a really long time and I have an opportunity to tonight, but I just don't know if I should."

"Why wouldn't you want to see her? If I hadn't seen my mom in a while I'd probably jump at the chance."

"My relationship with her, and my whole family for that matter, has never been normal", she explained.

"Has anyone's family _ever _been normal?" he cackled.

"No. You don't understand. I was never given the impression that my family even loved me", she confessed as she slumped her head down toward her chest. "That's a huge part of the reason I haven't seen them in years. I just don't know if I should give them a second chance tonight."

"Well, if you want my honest opinion, I think you should give your mom a shot. I know she probably hasn't treated you right in the past, but people change. Maybe she's not the same person you remember, and you'll never know unless you see for yourself."

Helga was stunned by Ron's words. Although she still wasn't entirely convinced, Ron's advice made things a lot clearer and put things in a new perspective that she hadn't even considered. "Wow, Ron. That was the first helpful thing anyone has said to me about this. Thanks", she said as she lifted up her head and gazed into his alluring, green eyes.

"It was no problem. I'd just hate to see you live your life in regret. I tend to believe that people are more likely to regret the chances they don't take. Even if you go and it's a complete disaster, I think you'll feel better knowing that you tried."

"I guess that's true. You know, I never expected this sympathy and genuine interest from you", she admitted.

"Yeah, well, there's a whole bunch of sides to me that you don't know, my dear. We should fix that", he said, caressing her face with his large hand, holding back every urge in his body to kiss her. "Now, I think I need to go get some work done. Stop by my office if you need me for anything else." Ron got up and headed back toward his office as Helga glanced from behind her desk in awe as she watched the brown haired, broad shouldered man walk away. For the time being she stopped thinking about her mom. Everything suddenly flipped over to thought of Ron. She thought about everything he said, especially the part about regretting the chances you don't take. Maybe she was considering in ways not only applying to her mother, but also a sign that she would regret not giving Ron the shot at a potential relationship with her.

As much as she would have like to focus on Ron all day, she didn't have the time. She had to make a decision about her mother and she had to make it soon. By this point the work day was coming to a close and Arnold and Helga were already on their way home. Lila's meeting began at 6 o'clock and by the time they got back to the boarding house it was already 5:30. Arnold offered to drop Helga off at the Hillwood community center earlier on the way back to Sunset Arms, but at the time she still hadn't fully made up her mind so she declined. At the boarding house, Helga collapsed herself onto the sofa in the living room and just laid there like a slug for a few minutes.

"Hey Helga", Arnold said as he slowly approached her. "Dinner's ready. You coming?"

"Nah, I'm not really hungry. Maybe I'll grab some leftovers later", she said, almost without emotion.

"Look, I know your upset about your mom", Arnold, kneeling down besides the couch getting face to face with Helga, "but don't worry. Lila does these every week, and after the wedding and the honeymoon you'll have tons of opportunities to see her. Who knows, maybe she wasn't even planning on going tonight. It's okay if tonight wasn't the right time."

"Yeah, I guess. Thanks, Arnold."

With that Arnold left the room and Helga began to think. She didn't want there to be another night. She wanted tonight to be the night she got this over with. The more she put it off and the more she thought about it, the more anxious she got about it which would probably lead to her not even having the courage to go anymore. She rose up off the couch and crept over to the front door. She quickly plucked Arnold's car keys off the hook and quietly creaked the door open just enough so that she could slip out. She felt guilty taking Arnold's car without permission, but she didn't have time to get into one of his trademark _'touchy-feely'_ talks. So she hoped in the car and sped off, hoping her absence would go unnoticed by Arnold and the rest of the boarders.

When she got to the community center she searched frantically for the room where Lila held her sessions, when she finally came across a door with a sign that read _'AA meeting here'_ in big, red letters. She slowly walked toward the door and pepped through the small window as she scanned the room for any sign of Miriam. She remember Lila and Arnold saying that she didn't come consistently and wasn't sure if she'd even see her there when finally she spotted her. She hadn't changed a bit. This both relieved and frightened her all at the same time.

She placed her hand onto the doorknob and twisted it ever so slightly, then suddenly snapped her hand away as if the knob was on fire. A nervous and nauseous feeling emerged in the pit of her stomach and she decided she couldn't go through with it. Not now. She reluctantly and disappointingly turned her body around start heading back home when she was stunned by who she found waiting behind her. She froze in her tracks and suffered a loss for words. The two remained silent for a moment until one of them finally spoke up.

"Hello, baby sister."


	16. Amends

**Chapter 16: Amends **

* * *

"O-Olga? What are you doing here?" Helga blurted out.

"Well, I came to see you. I'm in town for Arnold and Lila's wedding. I'm staying at the Hilton", Olga calmly explained, despite Helga's flustered expression.

"But how'd you know I'd be _here _at this very moment?"

"Lila told me she asked you to come, and as much as you don't believe it I know you Helga. I knew you'd come, even if you wouldn't necessarily go in. You put on a tough front, but that's not really who you are."

Helga was furious. As her face began to turn red, she shouted, "Lila needs to learn to mind her own damn business for once! She thinks she knows whats best for me since she some hot shot counselor, but she doesn't know me at all. Helga scowled as she pushed passed Olga and stormed toward the front entrance.

"Would you please just talk to me, Helga?" Olga called out as she chased after her younger sister. "You would have had to see me anyway on Saturday at the wedding, so what's the difference?"

"The difference is I could have easily avoided you in a sea of people", Helga growled without breaking stride.

"But why do you want to avoid me? What did I do? Please tell me and I'll try to fix it", Olga begged.

"What did _you_ do?", Helga cried, finally stopping and confronting Olga face to face. "You just stood by as Mom and Dad kicked me out and left me with nothing!"

"I didn't know about that, Helga, I swear! I came home and you were gone. That's all I knew. I just assumed you'd moved out on your own merit", she defended. "I knew you and our parents never got along so I figured you'd left by choice. Please, Helga. You have to believe me."

"Yeah? Why should I? It's not like you were any better toward me. It was always about you. You never thought about anyone besides yourself. Criminey, you missed my graduation so you could one of your stupid trips."

"I didn't plan it that way! I forgot the date of your graduation when I signed up for it. Besides, it's not like I was being completely selfish. I was off helping people", Olga argued.

"Did you ever think to maybe stick around and help _me_ instead?" Helga snapped in fury.

Olga paused for a moment and thought about what Helga said, and she was right. She was never there for her. She saw how horrible her father was to her and how ignorant her mother was, yet she never did or said anything. "I'm-I'm so sorry, baby sister. I'd do anything to make it up to you", Olga whimpered as tears began to accumulate in her eyes.

"Oh yeah? How?" Helga snarled, crossing her arms over her chest and angling her body away from her sister.

"I-I was kind of thinking that maybe you'd want to move in with my family and I in Boston."

"And why would I want to do that?" Helga grunted. "I have a place to live here and if you didn't know I'm working so I can pay for college."

"That's the thing. After I got married and started my family I gave up teaching inuit students. I got a job as a professor at Boston University now", Olga explained. "I would offer to give you the money to go because I know how independent you are, but with your high school grades you could easily get some form of scholarship. Along with the money you've probably already saved and the discount you'll get since I'm a teacher there you should have no problem affording it. Another plus is that it'd be nice to get reacquainted with your family again. Wouldn't that be nice? You'd also get to finally meet your niece."

"But Olga-"

"And I know how badly you've wanted out of this town", Olga interrupted. "I mean, it's no New York or NYU, but it's pretty damn good."

Helga's cold exterior began to melt away as she noticed the sincerity and sorrow in Olga's voice. Helga could clearly see that Olga was trying, but she still wasn't sure if she was ready to trust her completely. "Look, I appreciate it, I really do, but I don't know."

"I understand. Just let me know if you change your mind."

"O-okay. W-well I'll see you on Saturday I guess", Helga said before finally exiting the building and going back to the boarding house. As she drove she thought about Olga's offer thoroughly. She knew going to Boston would benefit her, and she was ashamed for not jumping all over it, but she still loathed the idea of taking any kind of assistance from Olga despite how good her intentions were. Also, as much as she wanted to leave this town behind and start fresh, there was still one thing keeping her here, and it was all the friends she'd reconnected with in her time living at Sunset Arms. She saw Phoebe again, and actually made friends with her grade school nemesis. Not to mention there was Arnold.

Helga parked the car in front of the boarding house and found a distressed Arnold waiting for her on the front stoop. His hands were folded across his lap and his head sunk down low.

"Hey, taking lessons from Stoop Kid?" Helga sarcastically remarked as she got out and slammed the car door shut.

"Helga", he said, sprinting up at the sight of her. "Where have you been? I was worried."

"Oh man. I steal your car and you're sitting her concerned about my well-being? What a sap", she teased.

"I know you didn't steal it, Helga. Even if you did, I'd still be concerned. You're worth more than a hunk of metal", Arnold said as he walked up to her so that he was just a few feet from her. "Now are you going to tell me where you went?"

"Crinimey, is everyone in this town so pushy? If you _must_ know, I went to the community center."

"To see your mom?"

"Yeah, maybe I did, not like it mattered. Your fiance had another little surprise waiting for me there", she said, shoving Arnold gently out of her way to get inside.

"What'd she do now?" Arnold said with a sigh as he followed Helga into the building.

"Olga was there trying to mend fences with me", Helga informed as she stomped into the kitchen to retrieve a leftover plate of Gertie's Belgian waffles and taking a seat.

"I'm sorry, Helga", Arnold said, sitting down at the table with her. Just then Lila came walking through the back door.

"Hi guys. Arnold, do you think I can talk to Helga for a second alone?" Lila politely asked. Arnold nodded and got up from the table, leaving Lila and Helga in the kitchen. Lila took Arnold's place at the table and pulled the seat even closer to Helga.

"Helga, listen. I'm really sorry that it seemed like I ambushed you tonight."

"You and your future husband just don't know how to leave things be", Helga grumbled angrily.

"I know, I know, and I'm just ever so sorry. I just think you don't quite understand where I'm coming from", Lila thoughtfully suggested.

"Oh, I think I do. You think you know all about what's best for people when you really don't. Just because you're a counselor doesn't mean you know what's good for me", Helga sternly informed.

"I know, and that's not it at all", Lila began. "You see, I lost my mom when I was a very young girl and I'd do anything to see her again. But you...you have your mom and your sister right at your fingertips and you want nothing to do with them. I thought by giving you a little push you'd realize how lucky you are that you still have time to make things better with them."

Instantly Helga felt awful and a strain of guilt strung throughout her body. "Wow, Lila, I-I'm sorry. I didn't think of it that way."

"No, I'm sorry", Lila insisted. "I shouldn't have forced my own bias and beliefs onto you. Tell you what, from now on you can interfere in my life as much as you want."

"Well, that'll be hard. There's nothing to interfere with. Your life is perfect."

"I'm sure you'll think of something", Lila giggled. "So are we okay?"

"Yes, Lila", Helga calmly replied, "we're okay."

"Oh goodie!" Lila cheered, rushing up beside Helga, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing her tightly. She then grabbed a bundle of waffles off the counter and sat with Helga. The two then enjoyed a pleasant "dinner" together as friends.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter:) Thanks for the reviews on the last one. I love you guys**


	17. Interference

**Chapter 17: Interference **

**Hey, internet friends! I'm sorry I've been so neglectful to this story for a few weeks. I've had a lot of relationship stuff going on lately which put this on the back burner for a little while. This chapter may also be a short one, but I hope you enjoy! :)**

* * *

The next morning, after remembering to set her alarm for a decent hour, Helga stumbled downstairs to the kitchen, rubbing her tired eyes as the scent of freshly brewed coffee filled her nostrils. Most of the boarders were already seated for breakfast, so she made her rounds, saying good morning to everyone at the table one by one. When she finally reached Arnold and Lila, she noticed they were huddled close together at the very end of the table. Lila was frantically ruffling through bridal magazines as they discussed the final details of their wedding that was only a mere two days away.

"Seriously, guys?" Helga scoffed at the couple. "You're still obsessing about this wedding?"

"How could we not be? It's so soon," Lila reminded.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you need to constantly be going over every detail every minute of every day. Relax for a second. The more you over think something the more freaked out you're going to be the day of. Trust me."

"That's what I keep telling her," Arnold finally added, "but she wont listen."

"Well, Lila, you told me I was aloud to interfere so here it goes," Helga snickered as she grabbed the magazine out of Lila's hands. "Today you're going to take a break from all this wedding stuff. Instead we're all going to go out and get your mind off of it. Ever since I've been here you've been all 'seating charts' this and 'table cloths' that. I wont stand for it anymore."

"Oh yeah? So what do you propose we do to fill up our time?" Lila skeptically questioned the bold girl.

"Well...uh...we'll go dancing!" Helga blurted out.

"What? How exactly is that helpful in anyway?" Lila argued, reaching out for her magazine in an attempt to pry it out of Helga's grip.

Helga held the magazine high above her head and out of Lila's reach as she began to explain. "In night clubs the music is so loud that you can't even hear your own thoughts, so therefore you'll be forced to clear your head of all this wedding craziness. You can just enjoy yourself, have fun, and dance with your friends."

"Friends? Who else were you planning on inviting?" Arnold wondered.

"I figured I'd give Phoebe and Gerald a call and see what they're up to tonight," Helga informed.

"But Helga, we couldn't do that. It'd be ever so unfair to you," Lila protested. "We'd all be there with our boyfriends and we wouldn't want you to feel left out."

"Really, it's no problem," Helga began. "Actually I was also thinking today at the office I'd ask Ron if he wanted to come along. He's been hounding me all week and I figure I might as well give him a try."

"Aw, that's just ever so cute, isn't it, Arnold?" Lila said as she nudged her fiance.

Arnold let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, it is." Arnold clearly was not fond of the idea of Helga and Ron on a date, but also didn't want to shatter Helga's illusion of Ron as a caring, sensitive guy. She had enough let downs in her life, she didn't need him to ruin this for her. He also thought that maybe this time with Ron it would be different, despite they countless instances he'd seen him only use the women he dated. All Arnold could do was wait and see, prepared to catch Helga if she were to fall.

"Okay, I'm convinced. I'm in! This is going to be so much fun," Lila cheered. "Well, I'm off to work for the last time as _Ms. Sawyer_." Lila took one final sip of her orange juice and rose from her chair. She gave Arnold a quick peck on the cheek and left for work. Arnold looked down at his wrist watch and noticed how late it had gotten.

"Yeah, Helga, she had the right idea. We should get going, too."

"The two then exited the boarding house and hopped into Arnold's car and drove to their building. As soon as Helga sat down at her desk, Ron was immediately drawn to her like a moth to a light. For once, Helga was thrilled to see him so soon.

"So, how'd it go last night with your mom?" Ron asked as he leaned forward onto her desk.

"Well, I actually went to see her and everything, but I ended up getting distracted by someone else," Helga admitted, referencing to her sister.

"Oh, I see how it is. You though my advice was useless, huh?" Ron faked offense.

"No, not at all. On the contrary your advice was what got me up off the couch in the first place. Thank you," Helga sincerely stated.

"It was no problem. I always have time to help a beautiful girl like you," Ron said as he seductively began to lean over Helga's desk and closer to her.

"And you know, I have the perfect way to thank you."

"I bet you do," Ron said with a devilish grin. He then pressed her lips gently against Helga's. As he kissed her, his hand ran through her long, blonde hair and he firmly grasped the back of her head as he continued to take her breath away with each movement of his mouth. When he finally released her she gathered her jumbled thoughts and tried to form a semi-coherent sentence as she let the air return to her lungs.

"W-well that wasn't originally what I had in mind, but wow."

"So what was it then that you were thinking of?"

"I-I was wondering...i-if you weren't busy tonight that you'd maybe want to go to on a triple date with Arnold, Lila and two of our other friends."

"Yeah, sure. Sounds fun. I'll be there."

"O-okay. Great! I-I guess I'll call you later with the details."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Ron said with a wink before walking back to his corner office.

Helga's heart still fluttered from his kiss. The last time she felt such intense emotion during a kiss was with Arnold all those years ago on top of the FTi building. Maybe this meant she could actually feel something strong for someone else that wasn't Arnold. Maybe, just maybe.


	18. Lights

**Chapter 18: Lights  
**

* * *

Later that night the six of them met up at a nightclub in downtown Hillwood called the _Neon Lion_. Arnold, Lila, Helga, Gerald, and Phoebe all came together and Ron found his way there on his own. Ron must have gotten there early because as the gang rolled up in Arnold's Nissan they saw him already in the parking lot leaning his back up against a black BMV with his hands in the pockets of his dark jeans.

"Ooh, Helga, is that Ron over there?" exclaimed and excited Phoebe as she pointed at him eagerly through the car window.

Helga glanced over in the direction Phoebe was motioning to and smiled brightly. "Yup. That's him."

"I can't wait to meet him. I'm so happy you've found yourself someone special, Helga," Phoebe said.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far with it just yet. That's a bit optimistic, don't you think, Phoebe?"

"I know, but I can't help it," Phoebe beamed.

"So this is really that place, Helga?" Lila nervously questioned. I didn't expect it to look so...wild."

"Well I originally had somewhere else in mind, but Ron recommended here instead. He knows that owner and he said he could get us in easily."

"Of _course_ he does," Arnold grumbled under his breath from the driver's seat.

"Arnold!" Lila quickly hushed, jabbing Arnold's side with her elbow. "What we mean is that we really aren't sure about this anymore."

"Oh, come on. Loosen up a little! You're sound like my grandma. We're only 23 years old!"

Arnold pulled into the nearest parking space he could find and the group began to spill out of the car one by one. Ron took notice of their arrival and slithered his way over to Helga and slid his arm around her petite waist and pulled her closer to his side. Arnold grimaced at the sight.

"Hey, baby, you look extremely sexy tonight," Ron said, unable to take his eyes off of Helga. She wore a short, pink, strapless dress that hugged her body perfectly, extenuating her every feature.

Helga blushed and thanked him with a light peck on the cheek. "So are we ready to head inside? I've already made the call and got our names onto the list up front," Ron proudly informed with a cocky grin.

"Yeah, we're all ready. Let's go guys." Helga took Ron's hand and the two led the way to the bouncer at the door. Arnold and Lila trailed behind.

"Could he be anymore smug?" Arnold murmured into Lila's ear.

"Arnold, please be nice. I know he has the ability of getting under your skin, but give him the benefit of the doubt. Please. For me?" Lila begged.

"I just don't want him to hurt Helga. Too many people have."

"I know, and I understand, but maybe he'll be different with her."

"Yeah. We'll see," Arnold concluded as they reached the red, velvet rope that stood between them and the entrance.

"Hey, Tommy!" Ron greeted the large bouncer.

"Hey, Ron. Doug didn't tell me you were coming by tonight."

"Yeah, I told him this afternoon so it was kind of last minute. Did he remember to put me and my friends on the list?"

The bouncer, Tommy, looked up and down his clipboard. "You, there you are," he said as he placed his finger over Ron's name. "So come on in." Tommy unhooked the rope and allowed them all to pass through. As soon as they stepped foot into the club they were blasted with an explosion of loud, heart pounding music and flashy lights that gave vibrancy and color to the otherwise dark room. Helga instantly took a hold of Phoebe and Lila's forearms and pulled them onto the dance floor leaving the men to themselves.

"Great, so now what do we do?" Arnold asked. "It's not like we can go dance by ourselves now."

"Speak for yourself. Unlike you white boys I could hold my own out there. I'll catch up with you guys later," Gerald announced before running off to join the girls.

Arnold sighed as he realized what had just happened. He was now left alone with Ron. Ron slumped his arm around Arnold which made Arnold cringe even more.

"So how about you and me go to the bar and down a few? I'm buying," Ron suggested.

Arnold didn't typically like to drink, but if he was going to get through the night with Ron it might not have been a bad idea to drink just a little bit. Arnold nodded in agreement and the two men headed for the bar. As promised, Ron bought their first round. After a few sips, Arnold decided to break the silence.

"So...you and Helga, huh?"

"Are you surprised? You knew I had my eyes set on her from the start, and I _always_ get the girl," Ron said with pride.

"Yes, I'm aware of that, but will this time be different?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ever since I've known you, you've had a bunch of girls, but not one lasted very long. Do you think Helga will?" Arnold asked, hoping that he'd get the answer he least expected.

"Anything is possible, I suppose, but right now there's only one thing on my mind," Ron said with a scheming smile as he leaned over to steal a glance at Helga's sultry movements on the dance floor. Helga noticed Ron looking and skipped over to the two of them.

"So are you two party poopers going to come dance with the rest of us or what?" Helga playfully asked.

"As long as I get to dance with you," Ron smoothly flirted.

Helga clasped Ron's hand and began to walk away before noticing that Arnold hadn't budged. She then turned her body back around to face Arnold.

"Hey, Arnold, you coming? Lila's waiting for you to come out and dance with her."

"Yeah, I'll be out in a little bit," Arnold said as he tried to fake a smile onto his otherwise angered face, but Helga could see right through it.

"You okay, Arnold?" she asked sincerely.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," he lied. "Go dance. Have fun. Just give me a minute."

Unconvinced, Helga turned back to Ron and the two stepped onto the dance floor. Arnold watched in disgust as he chugged the last remaining liquid in his bottle. Seeing Ron grind his deceitful, womanizing body on her made his stomach churn and his blood boil. Despite his fuming rage, he couldn't help but notice how beautiful Helga looked tonight. Underneath the bright lights, as she swayed her perfect body back and forth, hair tossing from side to side made him see her in a way he never had before. Now he couldn't tell if he was angry with Ron or if he was jealous of him.


	19. Friday

**Chapter 19: Friday**

* * *

****By the next morning, Arnold had swept whatever he was feeling for Helga the night before under the rug, blaming it solely on the alcohol. He'd convinced himself that him and Helga were just friends, and nothing more. So there he sat with Lila eating breakfast nonchalantly , convinced that it was nothing. Helga then came bursting through the entrance to the kitchen, looking elated and energized.

"Good morning, everyone!" she announced as she sashayed over to Lila and Arnold and sat beside them. "So, did you guys have fun last night?"

"Yes, we really did. It was exactly what I needed. It felt good to just relax and loosen up for a night," Lila explained.

"So my genius plan worked?" Helga gloated. "I'm glad it did."

"Oh yeah, and how about you? You and Ron seemed pretty cozy last night. I'm guessing the first date went well?" Lila probed, leaning closer to Helga, making sure she wouldn't miss a single detail of gossip.

"It really did. I like him a lot so far," Helga swooned.

"That's great, Helga. We're so happy for you. Aren't we, Arnold?" Lila said, as the two girls looked directly at him.

"Oh, uhm, yeah. We are," Arnold answer nervously and dispassionately.

"So enough about me. How are you two going to spend your last day together as an unmarried couple?" Helga wondered.

"Well, I'm taking the day off to do some last minute prep work for the big day tomorrow. I tried to convince Arnold to take the day off as well, but he didn't want to," Lila said as she pouted.

"What did you expect, Lila?" Arnold interjected. "I have my presentation as soon as we get back from our honeymoon. I need to get everything done since it's my last day to really work on it. That is, unless you want me taking my work with me?"

"No. I wouldn't want that either," Lila huffed in defeat.

"I knew you'd understand," Arnold said, getting up and placing his lips on the crown of Lila's forehead.

"Yeah, well I suppose I could ask Olga to come over today instead. That way she can help me."

"Oh, man. Now I'm glad I'm not coming home until late tonight so I wont have to have an awkward run in with her," Helga said in relief.

"What are you talking about? You not coming home with me tonight?" Arnold asked.

"No. Ron and I are going out after work today."

"Oh. Well okay then," Arnold muttered.

"Yeah. I figured it was time for him to let him take me on an official, one on one date."

"Yeah, I guess," Arnold said flatly. "Well, we'd better be going. I really need to finish my project." Arnold stood up and began to walk out of the kitchen.

"And by the looks of it, Helga really needs to go see her _boyfriend_," Lila teased Helga like a little school girl.

"You're so immature," Helga laughed. "Well I'll see you late." Helga then followed Arnold and the two drove to the office.

...

Before he knew it, Arnold was just wrapping up his work just in time before the day ended. As he muffed over the last few details, Helga knocked softly on his door and poked her head through.

"Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving with Ron now. And you should start heading home, too. Lila's probably waiting," Helga encouraged.

"Yeah, I know. Have fun on your date. I'll see you later at the boarding house." Arnold then watched as Helga left. Through his office window he could see her walking to Ron, and him slipping his deceiving hand around Helga's waist and strolling away with her. Arnold's frustration started to build up to a point where he could have sworn he was seeing red. He decided he needed some time to wind down and gave his best friend a call.

...

No more than 20 minutes later, Arnold found himself at a bar somewhere between his work building and Sunset Arms. The bar was dark and had a decent sized crowd of after work drinkers. Arnold sat at the end of the counter, slouched over, alone as he worked on his first drink of the night. He finally saw Gerald walk in out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, man," Gerald greeted as he slumped into a stool next to Arnold. "I'm incredibly surprised you invited me out tonight. Especially to this place."

"Why is that?" Arnold asked, taking another sip of his drink.

"Hmm, well let's see. For starters, you don't really drink too much. Also, I'm pretty sure you have a fiance waiting for you at home. Lastly, if you haven't forgotten, you have a wedding to attend tomorrow, which I'm almost positive you don't want to be hung over for," Gerald explained, taking Arnold's drink and attempting to slide it away from him.

Arnold shot his hand out and grabbed the top of the glass. "I'm not going to be hung over. Relax. I just needed to come out and clear my mind."

"Oh, no. Getting cold feet, huh? See, man, I told you that you were two young to be doing this."

"What? No, this has nothing to do with the wedding."

"Then what _does_ it have to do with?"

"I just...I can't believe Helga went out with Ron again tonight," Arnold began. 'I thought she'd be good at spotting out complete assholes like him, but no, she's too blinded by his charm and good looks. I can't stand the thought of him using her for his own sex crazed needs. I, of all people, know what it's like to want to have sex. I'm still a virgin for God's sake, but I'd never be willing to hurt someone for my own selfish desires! And you know what else-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, buddy," Gerald said, interrupting Arnold's slight rampage. "Is this seriously what we're talking about right now? I don't know if you heard me before, but your wedding is _tomorrow_. That's what we should be talking about right now, not this Helga and Ron bullshit. Is there anything else going on, Arnold?"

"What? What do you mean? What else could be going on?" Arnold snapped.

"Don't be stupid, you know damn well what I'm talking about. Is there something going on between you and Helga?"

"No! Of course not! Are you crazy? Why would you even said that? Like you mentioned before, I'm getting married tomorrow. Do you really think I'd be falling for another girl, especially when that girl is Helga?" Arnold bitterly got up from his stool and stormed toward the exit of the bar.

"You're lying to yourself, Arnold. Please come back and sit down so we can talk about this," Gerald called out to him.

Arnold stopped and turned to Gerald once again. "There's nothing to talk about because I'm not lying to myself about anything. I have a gorgeous, kind, intelligent girl back and home and I don't want anyone other than her. You hear me? I'll you tomorrow...at my wedding," Arnold snarled.

Gerald ran up to Arnold's side. "Listen, let me drive you home. I don't know how much you had to drink before I got here."

"I barely had one drink. I'm fine. So, like I said, I'll you at my wedding tomorrow, best man." Arnold stomped away from Gerald and headed for his car. He then drove home to the boarding house where he was greeted with a hug by his loving fiance, Lila.

_I have everything I could ever need right here in my arms_, Arnold thought to himself._ Gerald doesn't know what he's talking about...does he?_


	20. The Little Pink Book

**Chapter 20: The Little Pink Book**

**Hey, so just warning you that this is probably gonna be a short chapter. Also, there's a poem in here that I wrote and it's pretty frickin' awful. The real Helga would scoff at my lame attempts to write a Pataki original poem, but I did the best I could and it gets the point across. I'm not much of a poet. **

* * *

****As the hours passed, Arnold restlessly tossed and turned in his bed as Lila slept peacefully by his side, having sweet dreams about the day ahead of them. Arnold just stared up at the stars through his sun roof as he listened to the steady ticks and tocks of the clock they had hung on their wall. Eventually Arnold sat up in bed and tossed the covers off his body. He swung his legs around and stood up, then heading straight out of their room and to the kitchen. He thought that maybe a glass of water would help him sleep somehow. He stumbled down the stairs and noticed that a faint light was on in the living room. He went in to turn it off when he saw Helga in her pajamas curled up at the end of the couch. She had one lamp on and was using it to write in her little pink notebook.

"Hey, Helga. When did you get home?" Arnold said as he took a seat on the sofa with Helga.

Helga looked up from her journal and was surprised to see Arnold. She closed her pen inside the book and placed it down on the coffee table. "Oh, hey Arnold. Hmm, I don't know, maybe about an hour and a half ago. What are you doing up?"

"Pre-wedding jitters I guess. So how'd your date go?" he asked.

"It started out great. He took me out to a romantic dinner a _Chez Pierre_. There were flowers and candles, and he even got a string quartet to play for us as we ate our meal. Then he took me to the park where I discovered he had a horse and carriage waiting for us to take us on a ride around the perimeter. It was just lovely," Helga said plainly.

"That's great, Helga," Arnold said, doing his best to keep a happy exterior. "And, hey, I'm glad to also see that you didn't run into the headless cabby while you were there at the park at this hour," Arnold joked.

"Haha, funny," Helga replied halfheartedly.

Arnold could sense that something was wrong. There was something Helga was neglecting to tell him. "You know, for a girl who just had the date of her life you don't seem too excited about it."

"Well, let's just say that the date ended very differently from how it began."

"Oh. What happened?"

Helga sighed. "Well, I went back to his apartment and things started to get a bit hot a heavy so to say. It started to look like things were about to go pretty far until his phone rang just before anything actually happened. He got up to answer it and while he was gone I figured that I'd head to the bathroom to freshen up a little. When I left the room I could hear him from the distance talking all gushy to some other girl on the phone. Right then I kind of realized that he really wasn't all too serious about me."

"Oh. I'm so sorry, Helga. Please tell me you introduced that jackass to _Old Betsey_ and the _Five Avengers_," Arnold pleaded, hoping Helga knocked Ron flat on his ass and let him get what he'd had long coming to him.

"Nah, I just told him that something came up and I had to leave. I got myself re-dressed and caught a cab home. I mean, yeah, it hurt. I was really starting to like him, but when you look at the bigger picture, I only knew the guy for about a week. He just wasn't worth the fight," Helga explained.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So... are you okay?"

"Yeah. It'll definitely be awkward seeing him at your wedding tomorrow, but I'll be fine. Like I said, it wasn't like I'd been in loved with him for years or anything," Helga said, letting out an uncomfortable laugh followed by a short pause. "So, I guess I should be heading to bed. It's a big day tomorrow." Helga stood up and began to walk toward the staircase.

"Yup. That it is. I'm just going to go grab a glass of water first."

"Alright. Goodnight, Arnold," Helga said as she disappeared to the second floor.

Arnold turned his head slightly and noticed that Helga had left her notebook behind. He lifted it off the coffee table and started to head in the direction of the stairs, looking to return it to Helga, but something inside was holding him back. He'd seen Helga carry around these books like they were her bibles ever since they were little kids and he'd always been curious as to what was in them. So in despite of his guilty conscious, he opened the book to the page that Helga had marked with her lucky purple pen. He glanced over his shoulder sneakily to make sure Helga would not be coming back and then began to read. It was a short poem, dated today, that was titled,_ No Matter_.

_"No matter what I think_

_No matter what I do_

_Always and forever_

_My thoughts come back to you_

_No other man compares_

_No other man can be_

_Everything I love_

_And everything to me_

_But no matter what I think_

_And no matter what I do_

_You've found the one you love_

_And I'll never be with you"_

__As Arnold then skimmed the rest of the book it became clear to him who these poems were about. They were about him. Helga was in love with him. So many things began to come together all at once. Her behavior as a child all made sense now. The constant teasing, the prolonged kisses, and her strange confession on the top of the FTi building. He'd always brushed them off as if they were nothing, but they were far from nothing.

Another thing Arnold came to realize was that all these feelings he'd been repressing for Helga lately were real. Gerald was right, Arnold had been lying to himself, but at least now Arnold knew that his feelings would no go unrequited.


	21. Wedding Day: Now or Never

**Chapter 21: Wedding Day: Now or Never**

**Yes, that is correct my fellow reader friends, we've made it to this day!**

* * *

The fateful day had finally arrived. The guests were arriving to the church, the flowers were all set in place, and the orchestra was just getting ready to play. Arnold and Gerald stood in a separate room in the church, waiting in their tuxes, to make their entrance. The usually calm and collected Arnold had slowly became a nervous wreck with the tension continuing to build with every breath and every passing minute. He erratically paced back and forth as he anxiously gnawed at his fingernails, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. Gerald eventually grabbed his friend's shoulder, startling Arnold and causing him to halt his movements.

"Yo, Arnold. Are you okay?" Gerald asked with concern in his voice, even though he could clearly see that Arnold was far from fine.

"Yes, I'm fine, Gerald. I guess I'm just a bit restless. That's all," Arnold replied as he tried his best to keep his composure.

"Arnold, can you please just tell me the truth? Or at least just tell me something I can do to help calm you down," Gerald offered.

"Fine, you really want to help?"

"Of course I do. That's what the best man is for, right?" Gerald ensure. "Just name it. Anything."

"Well... don't ask me why, but can you go find Helga and tell her to stop by here? Also, can you be discrete about it, please?"

"Yeah, sure. I'll send her in." With that Gerald left the room and Arnold stood alone as he eagerly awaited Helga's arrival. He didn't know what to do, or even what he was planning to say to her. All he knew was that he knew for sure that he had to see her before he went through with this wedding.

Soon enough Arnold heard a knock at the door. He quickly turned around and saw Helga enter the room. Arnold was amazed at how stunning she looked today. She wore a long dress with spaghetti straps. It was pink, which was a color she always seemed to wear extraordinarily well. The dress was tight on the upper body and flowy on the bottom half which drew attention to her womanly curves. She also wore her hair natural, letting her long, wavy curls dangle on her shoulders.

"So you wanted to see me?" Helga asked, which broke Arnold's entranced state.

"Yes, I did," Arnold nervously began as he slowly took a few steps closer to Helga. "I-I think I'm getting cold feet."

Helga's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets and she slightly shook her head. "What? No. No, you're not, Arnold. You've been in love with Lila since you were nine years old. How can you possibly be getting cold feet? Especially now. You're getting married in like ten minutes! Shouldn't you have thought about this earlier? Why now?"

Arnold gulped as he looked frantically back and forth between Helga's eyes and lips. "Because of this," Arnold finally said as he cupped Helga's cheeks in his hands and pulled her lips into his. At first Arnold could have sworn he felt Helga kissing back when he suddenly could feel Helga's hands against his chest, followed by a hard, violent shove.

"Arnold! What are you doing?" Helga shouted.

"Helga, seeing you again brought up all these weird, unexplained feelings. Then once I read your poetry book everything started to click. I-I think I'm starting to fall for you, Helga, and I know you feel the same," Arnold hastily confessed without even taking a breath between sentences.

"W-what book? I don't know what you're talking about," Helga growled as she crossed her arms over her chest and angled herself away from Arnold.

"Come on, Helga. Stop lying. You know exactly what I'm talking about. Enough with the charade. You've been playing it for way too long," Arnold begged.

"Fine!" Helga cried out in defeat. "You want to know the truth? I love you, okay? Happy now?"

"Yes, yes I am," Arnold rejoiced. "Don't you see what this means?" Arnold then took Helga's hands in his and held them up near his chest as he gazed longingly into her deep blue eyes. "This means I should call off this wedding. That way you and I can finally be together." He closer his eyes and leaned in to try to kiss her once more when he felt a sharp slap run across his puckered face. He rubbed his cheek and looked at Helga with confusion.

"No! Arnold, I can't! How dare you even try this," Helga yelled.

"Why then? Why did you say you loved me if you were just going to turn around and do that? Don't you love me?" Arnold softly asked.

"Of course I do! I have... for nineteen years. I've been waiting most of my life to hear you say those words to me, but we can't do this. Not to Lila," she explained as she tried to make her way toward the exit.

Arnold quickly sprinted to the door and stood in front of it, blocking Helga's escape plan. "But you never even liked Lila, and you know it. Why does that matter?"

"I didn't like her, not until this week when I actually gave her a chance instead of letting my jealousy get the better of me. She's been nothing but kind to me, Arnold. But even putting her aside, I could never do this to _you_."

"What are you talking about, Helga? I _want_ this."

"No! You're wrong. You don't want this, you just think you do. You and Lila were happy before I came into the picture. You had a life and a plan, and I messed that all up," Helga regretfully stated.

"You didn't-"

"Arnold, please just let me speak," Helga sternly interrupted. "If you hadn't saw me at that strip club then you probably wouldn't have even thought about me."

"That's not true, Helga," Arnold interjected. "I started thinking about you again before I even saw you at that gentleman's club. And who knows? Maybe finding you at that club was just fate working it's magic. Maybe it was all meant to happen this way. It could very well be that I'm destined to be with _you_. That's why the universe brought us back together after all these years, and that's why _I_ was the one to find you. Don't you see, Helga?" Arnold said, beginning to once again slide closer to Helga. This time Helga just put out her arm and stopped him in her tracks.

"No, Arnold. I don't see." Helga sighed, knowing what she was about to say was going to be hard for her to admit. She'd been waiting for Arnold to fall for her even since she was four years old, but Helga had to face reality. "You-you can't just go nineteen years without feeling a single thing for me, then all of a sudden fall madly in love with me in a week. It's no logical. Love doesn't work like that, as much as in this case I'd like to believe it does. I think you're just confused. Maybe you're scared of getting married so young, I don't know. What I do know, though, is that you don't truly love me. Believe me, I wish you did, but I know you don't. Deep down you know you love Lila. She holds a very special place in your heart and she's your one and only someone. Not me," Helga concluded as she shut her eyes sighed heavily. "Look, I'm going to go take a seat in the pews now and wait for a wedding to start. I just hope you'll be coming in to join me soon, too." Helga shoved a speechless, and slightly paralyzed Arnold out of the way and left him to himself again.

Arnold stood alone with his thoughts for a few moments, taking in everything Helga had said, yet still trying to process his own conflicted emotions. His concentration was broken by the sound of his best man calling him from the other side of the wooden door.

"Hey Arnold, they're ready for you."

This was it. Arnold needed to make a choice. It was now or never.

* * *

**Wahhh a cliff hanger :O Hope you like this chapter. Review if you'd like :)**


	22. Say Goodbye

**Chapter 22: Say Goodbye**

* * *

As the wedding march began, the guests all rose out of their seats and turned to face the back of the church. Arnold was already waiting nervously at the alter along side his best friend and other groomsmen. Finally, Lila, accompanied by her father, made her entrance and slowly began to walk to down the isle. Her snow white gown had low, horizontal straps, and a tight fitting center. The bottom half was long and flowed freely behind her as she gracefully glided with each step she took. She also had elbow high gloves and a laced veil that completely covered her freckled face.

Eventually she made it up to the alter. Her father gently lifted the veil to the back of her head revealing her freshly made-up face and silky auburn hair that was pulled into a low, curled side pony tail. He then gave her a soft peck on the cheek, tears filling his eyes as he gave his only daughter away and retreated to his seat. Lila then stepped up and came face to face with Arnold and flashed him a sweet smile. Arnold looked into her forest green eyes, and immediately felt a rush of guilt. He could see the look of undeniable love in her eyes and could clearly see how much she truly adored him, yet just a moment ago he'd thrown himself at another woman. Seeing Lila like this confirmed and reminded him of his deep rooted love for her as well, and despite whatever he may have been feeling for Helga he could not let this girl go. In that moment he realized he couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her. he could not deny that she was truly the love of his life and could not let his fleeting emotions for Helga let him forget that, especially if Helga was right and that they weren't entirely real.

The ceremony proceeded as planned, ending in a kiss which would forever unite Arnold and Lila. As the two ran down the isle and off to their limo that waited at the front of the church, Helga watched with a bittersweet sensation. She couldn't have been more thrilled that her two friends were happily married, yet there was still that part of her that was riddled with regret. She sat by as the man she loved married another woman and she could have easily changed that. All she needed to do was accept Arnold's proposal when he offered to run off with her. All she needed to do was accept Arnold's confession, but she couldn't. She knew what was the right thing to do was, and if nothing else she could live with a clear conscious. Maybe Arnold's _do-goody_ nature had finally rubbed off on her after all these years.

...

After the wedding, the party relocated to a reception hall not too far from the church. The party room was grand and filled to its capacity with all of Lila and Arnold's friends and family. Some of these friends were new, but you could also find almost every member of Mr. Simmon's 4th grade class at PS 118 there as well. After an hour and a half of pure celebration and dancing , the meal was served. As they all ate there were toasts from Gerald, Olga, and even Arnold's grandfather, Phil. After the toasts, a huge cake was rolled out on a cart into the center of the dance floor. The cake had three towers which all got increasing smaller as they moved up. Arnold and Lila were brought out to it, where at this time they placed the first cut into the cake, hand and hand as Mr. and Mrs. Shortman.

Just as everyone was finishing up their dessert, Helga wandered over to Arnold and Lila's table. She carefully tapped them both on the shoulder simultaneously and when they both turned around see held her arms out.

"Congratulations, guys, "Helga said as she wrapped her arms around the two of them.

"Aw, thanks so much, Helga. I'm just ever so happy Arnold found you when he did so you could share this oh so special day with us," Lila cheered with delight as she hugged her friend back.

"Yeah, so am I," Helga replied timidly. "Look, I know you're busy hosting a party and all, but do you think I can talk to you guys about something really quickly?"

"Yes, of course you can, silly," Lila answered.

Helga was hesitant at first, but came to grips that this had to be said and needed to be done. "E-earlier this week I had a conversation with Olga. She offered me a place to live with her and basically guaranteed me admissions to Boston University. So I think after all this is over I'm going to go get all my stuff from the boarding house and my old apartment, get out of your hair and move to Boston."

Lila and Arnold both jumped up from their seats. Lila was the first to speak. "What do you mean? You aren't in any one's hair, I promise. We love having you with us," she ensured.

"I know, and you guys have been great, but I just think its time for me to spread my wings a bit. This is a great opportunity and I can't pass it up. Also, although I'm a little skeptical about it, maybe getting reacquainted with my sister will be do me good. I can slowly begin to reintroduce myself to my family, beginning with her."

Lila sighed in disappointment. "You're right, Helga. That's what I've wanted all along for you to do. I-I'm just going to miss you so much," Lila said as she embraced Helga tightly in her arms, tiny tears filling her eyes. "I'm ever so grateful we had this opportunity to become friends. I wish you all the best with Olga at Boston University," she said finally releasing Helga. "I know you'll do great. Just, promise me you wont be a stranger, okay?"

"I promise. Thank you for everything. I couldn't have gotten this chance if it weren't for you two," Helga said as she glanced back and forth between Lila and Arnold.

Just then, Lila slumped her head down and began to cry a little harder. Helga lifted her face up by the chin. "Don't cry, Lila. This isn't even our final goodbye. We still have the rest of the reception to party it up before I leave. And you don't want to ruin your make-up just yet, do you?" Helga said with a comforting smile. Lila nodded and dabbed at her eyes, hoping not to smudge her mascara. Helga sat Lila back down, taking one final look at Arnold before walking away. Arnold instantly chased after her just before she made it back to her table.

"Helga," he said as he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him. "You don't have to do this. Not because of that whole thing that happened with us. Clearly I thought about what you said and went through with the marriage. Everything's fine."

"No, Arnold. It isn't. Even though you did go through with it, I just don't think it's appropriate for me to be living with you guys anymore after that. It's too risky, and honestly I don't think I could handle it," Helga calmly confessed.

"But what about your job? You life here? Your friends? What about...me?" Arnold moped.

"Starting off in a new city might be good for me. I need a fresh start. Don't worry about my job. As long as I get into Boston University I wont need it. You'll find a replacement for me in no time. And as for you... you'll have a beautiful, perfect wife and an amazing life ahead of you. I'm not worried about you at all," she said with a genuine grin.

"Helga, please-"

"I've already spoken to Olga, and I'm doing this whether you like it or not. Can you please just try to be excited for me?" Helga begged.

Arnold pulled Helga in and enveloped her in his arms. "Of course I'm excited for you. You're going to do great. I-I'm gonna miss you so much."

"I'll miss you too, Arnold, but you'll see me again some day. Don't worry," Helga said as she closed her eyes and returned Arnold's hug.

They eventually let go of one another and back away, returning to their designated seats.

The party continued into the night and Helga soaked in every last bit of Hillwood she could before it was time for her to leave. The final event of the night was the bouquet toss, where Helga just so happened to be the lucky winner of Lila's bundle of roses, after which she gave all her friends one last hug goodbye and followed her sister out the door. Before getting into their cab and heading to pick up all her things she took one final look back at Arnold. She smiled one more time at the man she loved and drove off into the moonlight.


	23. You Will Find Me

**Chapter 23: You will find me**

**Please read:**  
**Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for sticking with me to the end on this one. This will be the last chapter of this story, which kinda sucks because I enjoyed writing it so much. I'm glad to see that a lot of you guys liked my ending, but it was also clear that some did not and I'm sorry about that. I just really didn't want this to be another, "oh look helga and Arnold end up together" story because there are a lot of those. I wanted to be different and unexpected and show another side of how things could be if in fact they didn't end up together. I also wanted to kind of remind people that, you know, life isnt all sunshine and rainbows and sometimes you don't get ****_everything_**** you want. So yeah, haters will hate, but even if you did hate it I'm happy you read until the end to even form that opinion. Thanks again to everyone! I love you guys3 now I think I'll shut up and let you read the last chapter already, I've rambled enough. Bye, and I'll see you again if you read anything else I write**  
**-Aly:)**

* * *

****It was now four years later. Olga decided to throw a party in celebration of Helga's graduation from university at her upper middle class home in Boston. Olga took the liberty of inviting everyone who mean the most to Helga. Her best friend Phoebe, and her now fiance, Gerald were the first to arrive. Miriam and Bob were next, followed by some new friends Helga had made in town. Finally, Arnold and Lila arrived, pushing a stroller through the front door. Helga had spoken with Lila on the phone every now and then, but she had not seen them since she left Hillwood. She hadn't even had any contact with Arnold at all. She had been really excited to see him again, yet the second she saw him walk through that door she felt an overwhelming rush of angst and camouflaged herself into the sea of guests that swarmed Olga's living room. Olga was the one to greet that at the door.

"If it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Shortman in the flesh," Olga said as she sashayed over to the entrance. She placed her hand on Lila's shoulder and leaned to her side, giving her a friendly kiss on the cheek. She then knelt down, facing the stroller and peeped in at the little girl who sat inside. "And this must be Audrey. My, my, she's gotten big. I can't wait to introduce her to my daughter They'll be best friends in no time."

"Yeah, she has gotten big so fast. She'll be two years old in a couple of weeks," Lila beamed.

"Olga stood up straight and smiled. "Yeah, it's still freaking Daniel and I out that Bella is starting school in September. Time really flies doesn't it? Well, enough of my babbling. Please, come in," Olga said as she motioned into the house. Lila entered and lifted her daughter out of the stroller. Audrey had Lila's wavy, auburn hair and freckles, and Arnold's blue eyes. Lila plopped her down in front of the television next to Bella and said, "Have fun, you two," before greeting everyone else at the party. Arnold also found his way over to Gerald, but as they spoke he couldn't help but keep his eyes out for Helga.

By this point Helga had descended into the kitchen with another party guest. Seeing Arnold again suddenly seemed terrifying to her and she thought she should escape for a moment, but she wished she could just disappear all together from the whole party. She felt silly and unworthy of having a party thrown specifically in her honor anyway.

At one point Arnold finally excused himself from his conversation with Gerald and made his way into the kitchen, hoping he might see Helga in there, and luckily he did. For the first time in four years he was looking directly at Helga Pataki. She hadn't changed a bit. She still had that same long, blonde hair, and still seemed to fancy the color pink. Beside Helga was also a tall, scruffy man with dirty blonde hair.

"Hey, Helga. I was beginning to think I'd never find you," Arnold said with a slight hint of nervousness.

"Yeah," Helga replied. "I thought I'd tale a break from all the commotion and hide out in here for a bit. It's, uh... it's been a while, huh?'

"It has. It really has. You know, I'd really love to catch up," Arnold suggested.

"Sure, yeah, okay,"Helga turned to the man she was with. "Can you give us a minute?"

The man took her hands in his and lightly placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "Yeah, no problem. Take as long as you need. I'll be in the living room," he said in a deep voice before leaving the room.

Arnold immediately wanted to know who that was and what that kiss was all about, but refrained thinking it'd probably be best to solve that question for later, possibly once the awkwardness had died down.

"So, Arnold, what's new? What have you been up to?" Helga asked as she sat down on one of the stools that surrounded the counter in the center of the room.

Arnold sat beside Helga. "Well, I was just named partner at my architect firm. The youngest partner in the company's history, I might add. I even beat out Ron who's older and been there longer," Arnold proudly proclaimed.

"Hah, well that's karma at it's finest, now, isn't it?" Helga cackled.

"You got that right," Arnold laughed. "Besides that, everything else I could assume Lila's told you over the phone at some point We bought a new house two years ago after Lila found out she was pregnant. We realized that we needed to more room and a place of our own so we used our wedding money, savings, and a loan from my grandparents and settled into our new home just in time for Audrey's arrival."

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that, actually. I meant to visit to meet Audrey when she was born, but I got caught up with school and life in general."

"I understand, and it's fine. So how have you been? What's new with you?" Arnold eagerly asked.

"Well, clearly I just graduated from college with a degree in English."

"Yeah, I could have guessed that, being that this _is_ a party for _you_," Arnold teased. "Speaking of the party, I noticed that your parents are here. I guess things worked out with them?"

"Yeah, I mean it took me a year and a half after moving here to want to see them, but I did it," Helga stated with pride. "My mom has been great from the beginning. She's been very apologetic and wonderful. She's trying really hard. She even started taking her AA meeting more seriously." Helga hesitated for a moment before continuing. "My dad on the other hand was not so easy. It's a work in progress with him, but we've definitely come a long way."

"That's great, Helga. I'm really happy for you," Arnold said, noting that the situation seemed to be getting more comfortable as Helga began letting her guard down. "I also couldn't help but notice you with that guy before. What's that about?"

"Who? Travis? Yeah, I met him at a coffee shop late last year. The place was packed and he had no where to sit so he asked if he could join me. We hit it off instantly and we've been dating for about six months now," Helga said as a smile spread right across her face.

"Wow, I'm surprised Lila hadn't mentioned that."

"Well, I didn't exactly tell anyone before today, you know, beside people here that could tell. I was afraid I'd jinx it or something, and I really don't want to lose him. He's sweet, funny, caring, and smart. He's also a journalist which is a huge bonus since I'm an aspiring writing. We have a similar interest."

"Well, I'm glad you found someone, Helga," Arnold said with deep sincerity. At first he was scared he wouldn't be happy for her and he'd begin to feel something for her once again, but he didn't. He was genuinely happy that she'd moved on. "He's a lucky guy. Wanna introduce me?"

Helga blushed at Arnold's kind words. "Sure", she said as Arnold began to stand up. Helga quickly jolted out her hand and grabbed Arnold's arm. "Wait, before we go can I ask you something?"

Arnold sat back down. "Of course you can."

"You talked about your life, but never mentioned your feelings toward it. So...was I right?"

"Right about what?" Arnold curiously inquired.

"Was I right in saying all those years ago that you'd have an amazing life?" Helga said, nudging Arnold.

Arnold thought for a moment and clearly recalled Helga muttering those words at his wedding reception. "You know what, you really were. I have a comfortable life with an incredible wife, and a beautiful daughter. What else could a guy ask for?"

"See? I told you so. Good thing I rejected you then. You wouldn't have everything you have today," Helga gloated. "You never told Lila about that little mishap did you?"

"Nope, I did not. I guess there's a little voice in my head that is telling me to, but it was in the past. You more than anyone knows that your past doesn't define who you are now," Arnold said, looking up and grinning at Helga. "And yeah, you're right, it was a good that you turned me down, but hey, that was a good decision on your part, too. You seem to have everything falling nicely into place."

"Yeah, I really do," Helga said once again with a smile.

"But, just so you know, if life takes an unexpected turn for the worse and you ever need help again, I'll _always_ be here for you. Time after time. Just come and find me."

"Thanks, Arnold, but don't count on it. I plan to have life stay like this for a long time."

"No problem...Hell Girl," Arnold said with a deviant smirk as he referenced her former stage name.

Helga's mouth gaped open in shock of that unexpected remark. "You're so dead, football head," she said as she leaped off her chair and playfully chased Arnold into the living room and back to the party.

* * *

**PS if you were wondering why I named this time after time this last bit gives it away. Also listen to the song time after time by Cyndi Lauper and it'll make sense...or maybe it's just me :P**


	24. NOT A CHAPTER: AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Okay, woah, woah woah!** **I honestly don't care about your personal opinions regarding my story. You are entitled to your opinion and I respect you for it, really, I do, but some of the comments (especially the last one I got) are annoying the crap out of me and I just need to address some stuff. **

**Alright. For starters, just because I put Helga and Arnold as the main characters does ****not**** mean that they were going to end up together. Main characters does not automatically equal romantic relationship. Also, just because they get together in pretty much every single other fic (even one of my previous ones) doesn't mean it'll always happen. What's the point in reading anyway if you already know the ending? Okay, good. I''m glad we've cleared that up. :)**

**Secondly, I just got a comment saying that I needed to "appeal to my audience" or something like that. -_- Okay, who are you to tell me what to do? I write stories for myself mainly in order to maybe find some escape from the craziness that sometimes builds up in my head. I just figured that maybe some other people would enjoy them as well so I decided to post them onto here, but I write them for ****me****. So why should ****you**** get to dictate how ****my ****story ends? I'm sorry if I'm coming off as rude or mean or whatever, but I really cannot stand when other people (especially ones you do not know) try to tell you what you should and should not do. Let people be who the hell they are and let them do what they want to do. Don't censor their creative outlook on something just because it doesn't appeal to ****you****. **

**Again, I'm sorry if I'm coming off as some over dramatic, crazy bitch, but that last comment just... uggg. Hopefully I'm not the only person bothered by comments like that so I don't seem as insane. **

**Anyway, I'm not trying to complain to all of you. I do realize that I have encountered some really cool people that seemed to have enjoyed this, and even some terrific people that didn't like it very much and I love you guys for your constant respect and and support throughout this story. Your comments have meant the world to me, and my little rant wasn't directed toward you guys specifically. I just really needed to let out all my pent of feelings for the comments that really got under my skin. **


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